The Los Angeles Police Department has taken a new step in their hunt for the driver of a tractor-trailer that struck and killed a 23-year-old man in Los Angeles on February 23, 2018. The agency released video footage of the fatal accident on April 2, 2018, in hopes that someone will come forward with more information or will be able to identify the driver shown in the video.
Elsewhere in the state, crashes involving big rigs and box trucks reminded travelers of the dangers that can result from commercial trucks, even when they are not the instigating vehicle in a crash. Those inherent dangers in large trucks are part of the reason safety advocates continue to push for stronger regulations on issues like side underride protection and autonomous emergency braking, which could help a semi stop in time as it approaches another crash.
Commercial truck safety improvements have stalled in the last year, with the government reversing progress on no fewer than 12 safety rules that advocates believe could be crucial to saving lives. These safety rules, as John Risch, national legislative director for the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, says have been “written in blood,” because they were primarily inspired by devastating events with loss of life.
During the same period that those rules were repealed, delayed or withdrawn, no new safety rules of significant note were made, according to the report from the Associated Press.
Family of the Los Angeles Truck Hit and Run Victim Pleads for Truth and Justice
April 2, 2018
Officials seek public help in the search for a truck driver who struck and killed a man with his truck in Los Angeles before driving away from the accident scene. The Los Angeles Police Department has been looking for the mystery truck driver since the incident occurred on February 23, 2018, in the area of the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Central Avenue.
Twenty-seven-year-old Victor Leonard Hernandez-Perez was walking in the area at approximately 11:15 p.m. when he was hit by a semi-truck with a dark-colored cab and a white trailer attached. The truck did not stop after striking Hernandez-Perez, instead of continuing onto Central Boulevard southbound. Los Angeles Fire Department Paramedics were called to the scene where they pronounced Hernandez-Perez dead.
The Los Angeles Police Department released a surveillance video of the fatal incident on April 2, 2018, asking anyone who has relevant information about the hit and run to contact Officer E. Zelaya with the Central Traffic Division at 213-833-3713. The Police Department also reminded citizens that there could be a reward of up to $50,000 for information that leads to the identification, apprehension, and conviction of the individual responsible.
The surveillance footage shows the tractor-trailer emerging from a side street when it hits Hernandez-Perez and crushes him. The driver then pulls out onto the road without stopping. Few details, however, are visible to identify the driver. The truck has the word “Chago” written on the passenger side door of the truck, which is believed to be the logo for the trucking company associated with the semi.
Hernandez-Perez’s nephew, Michael Hernandez, appeared in a video for ABC7 asking the driver to come forward.
“To say the truth and…to do something about it. We want justice,” an emotional Hernandez said.
Multi-Vehicle Crash Involving Box Truck in Oxnard Leaves Two Injured
April 2, 2018
An earlier accident may have been the cause of a crash involving 10 vehicles in Oxnard. The first accident, involving a passenger vehicle and a bicycle, occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m. in the southbound lanes of Rose Avenue and was being investigated by police at around 8:50 p.m. when the second, more severe accident took place.
Officials believe a silver Honda Accord set off the chain-reaction crash. Oxnard Police Sgt. Brandon Ordelheide said that they suspect the Honda was traveling above the speed limit when it struck a white box truck.
“The box truck hit everyone else,” Ordelheide told the VC Star.
Vehicles were littered across the roadway, and officials quickly shut down traffic in the area. Two people sustained minor injuries.
Motorcyclist Killed in Oxnard Commercial Truck Crash
April 2, 2018
The same day as the 10-vehicle crash in Oxnard, on the same street, a motorcyclist was killed in a separate incident.
Forty-nine-year-old Marvin Weeks was moving southbound on Rose Avenue at approximately 12:37 p.m. when a commercial truck with a flatbed that was traveling north on Rose Avenue turned left onto Mountain View.
The flatbed and motorcycle collided, throwing Weeks from the motorcycle. Weeks was confirmed dead by Oxnard Fire Battalion Chief Karsten Guthrie at 1:45 p.m. An investigation into the fatal crash is ongoing.