Llano, CA, November 11 – A man killed in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 138 near Avenue W has been identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner as Luis Retana Guzman, 54. The California Highway Patrol said a Honda Accord and a Chevrolet SUV were involved in the collision, which happened shortly after 6:30 p.m. on November 10. Guzman was riding in one of the vehicles and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Llano man killed in Highway 138 crash near Avenue W identified
A second man who was also riding in one of the vehicles was airlifted to a hospital with injuries that have not been specified, according to the California Highway Patrol. Highway 138 was closed in both directions following the crash while authorities worked at the scene, officials said. No additional details about his condition have been released.
The crash remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol’s Antelope Valley Area Office. The agency is asking anyone who witnessed the collision or who has information about it to contact investigators at (661) 743-6060. Investigators have not said whether any citations have been issued or whether speed or impairment are considered factors in the crash.
Details on what led up to the collision, including how the two vehicles came together and which vehicle Guzman was riding in, have not been released. The extent of the second man’s injuries also has not been confirmed. No further information about the circumstances of the crash was immediately available.
What the at-fault driver is required to carry, and why it often is not enough
Vehicle Code section 16056 sets California’s minimum liability limits, and they changed recently. For a policy issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, the minimum is $30,000 for injury to or death of one person, $60,000 where two or more people are hurt, and $15,000 for property damage. Policies written before that date may still carry the older minimum of $15,000, $30,000 and $5,000.
Those are floors, not typical limits, and a single hospital admission can exhaust the lower figure before any other loss is counted. Where the at-fault driver carries the minimum, the uninsured and underinsured motorist cover on the injured person’s own policy is often the part that matters most, and it is worth checking early rather than after the other insurer has made an offer.
The deadline that applies to a claim like this one
Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 gives two years for an action for injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another. The same two years covers an injury claim and a death claim; there is no separate, shorter period because someone died.
Who is entitled to bring a claim when someone is killed
Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60 decides who may bring a wrongful death action. The first group is the surviving spouse, domestic partner, children and the issue of deceased children, or, where there is no surviving issue, whoever would take the estate by intestate succession.
A second group may bring the action only if they were financially dependent on the person who died: a putative spouse and their children, stepchildren, parents, and the legal guardians of the person who died where the parents are deceased. Parents are in that second group, which is the part families are most often surprised by, because dependency has to be shown rather than assumed.
Talking to someone about it
Culver Legal represents people injured in collisions across California. A conversation about what happened costs nothing, and we work on a contingency fee, which means there is no fee unless we win. If we do not win, we do not pass the case costs on to you either.
Nothing on this page is legal advice about any particular case, and the facts of a reported collision often change as the investigation continues.
