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ntura County Sheriff's Department officials said Avary, 42, who won an Academy Award in the mid-90s for the film "Pulp Fiction," was the driver in the single-car collision that occurred shortly after midnight in front of the Ojai Lumber Company on the east side of town.

A news release from the sheriff's department said Avary was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.

Killed in the accident was Andreas Zini, 34, a resident of Italy who was apparently visiting the couple in Ojai, coroner's officials said.

Zini was transported to Ventura County Medical Center, where he died on the operating table shortly before 7 a.m., apparently of internal injuries, Senior Deputy Medical Examiner Craig Stevens said.

Avary's wife, Gretchen Avary, 40, was ejected from the car and found in the roadway by deputies. She was transported to Ojai Valley Community Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition late this afternoon.

Sheriff's deputies booked Avary into Ventura County Jail, but he was later released on $50,000 bail.

Attempts to reach Avary were unsuccessful.

Along with his work on "Pulp Fiction," which he co-wrote with the film's director Quentin Tarantino, Avary was know more recently as co-writer and an executive producer of the 2007 release "Beowulf."

He's also worked as a writer, producer and director on several other films.