Somis man dies of heart attack, crashes on 101 Freeway
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

Somis resident Larry Bodahely, 56, had a heart attack that caused his death as he was driving southbound on the 101 Freeway near Wendy Drive in Newbury Park.

Bodahely was unable to maintain control of his Infiniti before his car hit the center divider and collided with two other vehicles, said California Highway Patrol Officer Miguel Duarte.

Those in the other vehicles, a Subaru and a Ford pickup truck, reported no injuries or minor injuries at the scene and were able to drive to the right shoulder, Duarte said.

"He died of natural causes- heart disease. There were no injuries significant enough to cause his death," said Ormando Chavez, Ventura County senior deputy medical examiner.

The accident occurred at about 5:45 p.m. on Sept. 24. When emergency personnel arrived at the scene, Bodahely had no heartbeat. He was taken to Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, where he was pronounced dead at 6:32 p.m., authorities said.

According to Jan Bodahely, his wife of 30 years, Larry Bodahely had a 12-year history of cardiac disease. Before he died he was with friends and left to go home after telling them he was feeling ill, she said.

Though he had heart disease, her husband was a very active man who loved to fish, golf, snow ski and mountain bike, Jan Bodahely said. The retired 25year Los Angeles firefighter also stayed busy taking care of their avocado ranch and baby-sitting his grandchildren once a week.

"He was a great person who loved people," Jan said.

The couple also enjoyed traveling and had plans to go to Canada, Australia and Cancun, Mexico, she said.

In addition to his wife, Bodahely is survived by his children, Michelle Robertson, 31; Christina Monheim, 29; and Cory Bodahely, 25. His grandchildren are Madison Robertson, 5; Carson Robertson, 2; and Hunter Monheim, 2.