A Sister of St. Louis was killed and the retired pastor of a Malibu parish was severely injured when a car driven by Douglas Kmiec, U.S. ambassador to Malta, crashed into a drainage ditch in Southern California Aug. 25. Sister Mary Campbell, 74, who was well known at Our Lady of Malibu Parish and taught at the parish school, was dead at the scene, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol said. Msgr. John Sheridan, 94, pastor emeritus of the parish, underwent emergency surgery at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles soon after the accident. He was in critical but stable condition Aug. 27. Kmiec, 58, on leave as a law professor at Pepperdine University, remained hospitalized. The highway patrol said the vehicle was westbound on Mulholland Highway at about 1:30 p.m. when it drifted onto a dirt shoulder and then hit a drainage ditch. Both Kmiec and Msgr. Sheridan, who was seated in the front of the 2009 Hyundai Accent, were wearing seatbelts, but Sister Mary in the back seat was not, the highway patrol said. After surgeries at the UCLA Medical Center Trauma Center, the ambassador is reported to be in good condition and improving. Although doctors have been able to stop most of Msgr. Sheridan's internal bleeding, he has been treated for several broken ribs and remains in critical condition. California Highway Patrol Officer Leland Tang reported that the cause of Kmiec losing control of the vehicle is unknown. Authorities have said the accident remains under investigation and that dashboard control adjustment may be a factor in the collision. Archbishop of Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahoney visited the hospital Wednesday night and issued a statement asking the local community and those elsewhere to “please keep all three of these wonderful and devoted disciples of Jesus Christ very much in your prayers.”
