Thread: TRUCK DRIVER, MARCOS COSTA, RUMORED NOT TO SPEAK ENGLISH

Truck driver arrested in deadly La Canada crash

By Andrew Blankstein and Scott Kraft
12:56 PM PDT, April 2, 2009


The big rig hauling cars lost control while leaving Angeles Crest Highway, killing a Palmdale man and his 12-year-old daughter. Caltrans says it may ban trucks temporarily from that stretch of road.

Authorities have arrested the driver of a big rig that crashed into several vehicles in La Cañada Flintridge before slamming into a bookstore, killing a 12-year-old girl and her father and injuring several other people.

Marcos Costa, 43, was taken into custody on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, said Lt. Greg Sisneros of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Sisneros did not know where Costa lives but said he was a licensed Florida truck driver.

Meanwhile, Caltrans said today it is considering a temporary ban on trucks on the portion of Angeles Crest Highway where the big rig was traveling. It also said it will soon install new safety signs.

Doug Failing, Caltrans District 7 manager, said the La Cañada section of the road -- also known as state Highway 2 -- used to have a runaway truck lane for vehicles going too fast as they approach Foothill Boulevard. But in the last few years, the agency landscaped around the lane, and it is no longer used as a runaway truck lane.

Caltrans has been talking about finding a new location for a runaway lane, perhaps further north on Angeles Crest in county unincorporated territory.

The dead have been identified as 58-year-old Angel Jorge Posca and his daughter, Angelina, of Palmdale.

Family members told KTLA-TV’s Lynette Romero that the father and daughter had a close relationship. Angelina's brother John Posca, Angel Jorge Posca's oldest son, says Angelina didn't mind taking the long drive from their home in Palmdale to the family business in Long Beach if she could spend time with her dad.

"She had a lot of talent, big personality, you know. I think she was special. She was the baby, and we all spoiled her. I really don't have the words right now," Posca told KTLA.

Posca said he has many questions about the crash. "Of course, it shouldn't have happened. I've been traveling that road for years, and big rig trucks have no business being on that road. The incline is way too steep, and it's too easy to lose control."

The double-decker trailer hauling cars lost control at Foothill Boulevard and Angeles Crest Highway shortly before 6 p.m. and plowed into a bookstore whose patrons had fled. Momentum carried the truck -- loaded with several vehicles -- into a nail parlor, pinning the owner.

The intersection was littered with the wreckage of five cars, including the red compact the Poscas were in. They died at the scene. Their car had been struck in the intersection and pushed 150 feet, officials said.

Costa was hospitalized with minor injuries, and his passenger was unhurt. The cause of the crash was under investigation.

The accident occurred in a bustling retail district lined with boutiques and restaurants. The town of nearly 21,000, about 15 miles northeast of downtown, is home to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Melissa Watkins was working at the coffee bar in the Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse and spotted the big rig heading toward the building. She said the rear of the truck was jackknifing as it bounced off obstacles.

"The hood was up, it was kind of already airborne," she said. "It hit the curb, it went boom. We all ran out the side door."

The intersection was the scene of a similar accident Sept. 5, when a truck from Idaho carrying 78,000 pounds of onions lost its brakes coming down the steep incline from the San Gabriel Mountains. The truck rammed into several cars in a parking lot just west of Wednesday's accident. One person was hurt in that crash.

La Cañada Flintridge officials have been feuding with Caltrans since last year, complaining the intersection is notorious for runaway trucks.

In a letter to the state a month ago, city officials urged Caltrans to ban trucks from using the mountain route as a shortcut to the L.A. Basin. In addition, the city suggested signs be erected to warn truckers of the steep grade.

Mayor Laura Olhasso released a statement Wednesday night, reiterating the city's frustration.

"We are outraged that our numerous demands to Caltrans to immediately address the significant safety issues of out of control trucks on Angeles Crest Highway were ignored," she said.

Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Mike Brown said one of the critically injured was airlifted to a hospital. Four others were transported to local medical centers. Emergency workers labored to pull motorists from damaged vehicles and combed through debris in the stores.

Brown said firefighters were assessing the bookstore, saying the extensive damage appeared to render the structure unstable.

Sandi Susersky, 41, a hairstylist at B.S. Hair Co., two doors down from the bookstore, said she was the only one inside when the accident occurred. She could smell the truck's burning brakes.

"I thought we were having an earthquake the way things were shaking," she said. "I fell out of my chair."

The squealing of brakes and the sound of crunching metal shocked patrons at the Hill Street Cafe. Waitress Brandi Sjostrom said she heard the crash and ran outside to find a broad area of wreckage.

"I was pretty shaken up, I felt really nauseous," she said. "I've never seen anything like that."

She said diners returned to their tables, but many were so shaken they left their meals on their tables and went home.

andrew.blankstein@latimes.com

scott.kraft@latimes.com

LOS ANGELES TIMES







According to KFI Radio Los Angeles, either the driver would not talk to investigators, and /or they needed and interpreter to talk to him. More to follow.

Sheriff: Truck Driver Ignored Warning Signs before La Canada Crash

KTLA News

April 2, 2009

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE -- The driver of the big rig truck that slammed into a La Canada bookstore killing two people and injured twelve others ignored warning signs, according to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.

Marcos Costa, 43, of Massachusetts, was booked early Thursday on one count of gross vehicular manslaughter and one count of felony reckless driving. He was being held on $200,000 bail.

Costa was driving a transport truck on Angeles Crest Highway about 5:50 p.m. Wednesday when the brakes failed and he was unable to negotiate a sharp turn at Foothill Boulevard, said Capt. Mike Brown of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The double-decker truck, which was reportedly carrying other vehicles, first struck a red sedan near the intersection, pushing it about 200 yards, killing 58 year old Angel Jorge Posca and his 12 year old daughter, Angelina. Twelve others were injured, three critically. The truck hit several other vehicles before slamming into the Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse.


Costa's truck had come over the San Gabriel Mountains on Angeles Forest Highway, where trucks are banned, Sheriff's Sgt. John Caffrey said Thursday. The narrow, steep, winding road is used as a shortcut by commuters from high desert cities north of Los Angeles.

Related Story: Victims' Family Speaks Out


There are also signs on that stretch of roadway banning semi-trucks, Caffrey said.

The roadway widens and becomes Angeles Crest Highway, where the deadly crash occurred. Trucks are permitted on that part of the roadway, however, city officials say they have been unsuccessfully pressing Caltrans to ban big rigs in that location.

"We are outraged that our numerous demands to Caltrans to immediately address the significant safety issues of out-of-control trucks on Angeles Crest Highway were ignored," said La Canada Flintridge Mayor Laura Olhasso.

She said all trucks should be banned from the hilly and curvy road.

County Supervisor Mike Antonovich says all five Los Angeles County supervisors will join the mayor in requesting a ban on big rig trucks on that stretch of highway.


Related Story: Girl Scout Warned of Dangers

Witnesses said they saw the truck go airborne as it raced toward them.

"We could hear tires screeching, trying to turn, couldn't turn, going 60 miles an hour probably. I don't even know, maybe faster," Melissa Watkins said. "He hit the curb... the whole entire big rig went airborne, it went through the roof, through everything and we all just saw it coming and heard it and just ran."


Lynn Tran, manager of a nearby gourmet wine and spirit store, said she and other employees were stocking shelves when they heard a loud bang.

"We heard a noise that sounded like an earthquake," she said. "It shook a little bit."

Sheriff's investigators say Costa, who is from out of state, has been cooperative with their investigation. Costa told them he took the route because his GPS told him that was the shortest route to the Los Angeles basin. He said he would not have taken that route if he had known it was a winding mountain road.


Costa said once he was on the highway it was too late to turn around.

The driver also claims he had a brake light on his dash that was warning him about a problem with his brakes just before he crashed into the building, investigators said.


It was just last September that another big rig lost its brakes and crashed into several vehicles in the parking lot of a restaurant near the same intersection.

The accident happened outside the Hill Street Cafe in the 1000 block of Foothill Boulevard.

Investigators say the truck was heading south on Angeles Crest Highway when it lost its brakes and crashed into the restaurant.

No one was seriously hurt in that crash.


City officials say they complained repeatedly about the intersection to the Department of Transportation and even sent a letter after September's crash with several safety suggestions which were "ignored."

Read the letters


The city requested that the state prohibit trucks on parts of the highway, post signs in the area to warn trucks about the steep grades and install an escape lane uphill from the intersection. Highway and city officials disagreed about where to put the escape lane.


Mayor Laura Olhasso told KTLA that Caltrans twice sent letters back saying they needed more time to study the issue. "Caltrans has done nothing to correct the problem," she said.

Olhasso said the city will send another letter to Caltrans demanding that all truck traffic be stopped on the boulevard. She said they will also talk to congressman about sponsoring legislation that would force GPS companies to mark unsafe truck routes.

A spokesman said Thursday that Caltrans was "absolutely" not negligent in addressing the issues presented to them and he is disappointed at the blame coming from local agencies.

Additional signage was ordered weeks ago following the September accident and is expected to be installed very soon, said the District Director for Caltrans, Doug Failing. .

Caltrans has looked into the possibility of putting in a new runaway truck lane but they have been unable to agree on a location with city officials, said Failing. The old lane, which has been turned into a median was deemed inadequate. .

Failing says banning trucks to the road completely is an idea that is open to consideration.

KTLA NEWS LOS ANGELES

His driver's license is registered in Maine and you can look up his driving record there (and it's not very good)... the reason he took the Angeles Crest drive road is because many "truckers" take this road to avoid break inspections by the CHP on their trucks (it's a pass around the break check station)... curvy, windy road (treacherous enough for cars so imagine a semi-truck)....

I got my fear of big rigs, when I nearly got killed in Fla. by a fully loaded dump truck, honking because he couldn't stop at a red light. I dove into the intersection as the cars would do less damage than this character. Driving to NC (and I avoid interstates) I ended up on 521 somewhere in South Carolina. I had nothing but big rigs on the road, and they were piggy-backing trailers fillers with huge logs. There was absolutely no place to dive (ditch and woods on the shoulders), and these days there is nothing scarier than seeing nothing more than the grill and bumper in the rear view mirror, not knowing if that truck is fully loaded behind you.
This Mexican truck program, where they can roam the country, means I need to take a blood pressure pill every time I get in the car. Who knows whether that grill and bumper in the rear view mirror has adequate brakes or can even read "no turn on red" signs.

This truck was barrelling down the Angeles Crest at 75 mph (with no brakes) and there is one sign at the very top of this road only marked with a speed limit of 25 mph... a Girl Scout (no less) had done an in-depth study and presentation BEGGING CALTRANS both the county and the state to do something about this.... as she had seen many accidents at this intersection where the Angeles Crest deadends into a "T" on Foothill Boulevard in La Canada... but CALTRANS did NOTHING!!!!!!!!!

Someone please explain to me if Costa is a resident of Massachussetts, why does the article say he has a Florida license? I didn't read about a Maine license, American-ized, do you have a link?

Never mind, I found the article:

Trucker arrested as officials call on ban on big-rigs on Angeles Crest
By Robert S. Hong and Nathan McIntire, Staff Writers
Posted: 04/02/2009 06:28:18 PM PDT


LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE - In the aftermath of a double-fatal crash triggered by a runaway truck careening down Angeles Crest Highway, area officials Thursday called on Caltrans to immediately ban big trucks from the steep mountain highway.

Photo Gallery:Big rig crashed into cars on Angeles Crest Highway

Caltrans officials said they are open to that suggestion, but an official called the highway generally safe, provided drivers take proper precautions.

Truck driver Marcos Barbosa Costa, 43, of Maine was behind bars Thursday, booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, based on

Firefighters and emergency personnel respond to a crash site where a truck careened out of control and slammed into a bookstore in La Canada Flintridge, on Wednesday evening, April 1, 2009. Authorities confirmed two deaths and 12 people taken to hospitals. (SGVN/Staff photo by Watchara Phomicinda/SXCity) a preliminary investigation, Sheriff's Department officials said.
Costa was driving a car-transport truck carrying three vehicles on Angeles Crest at about 5:50 p.m. Wednesday when the brakes failed, said Capt. Mike Brown of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

He slammed into a red car, pushing it about 200 yards down the roadway and into the intersection of Foothill Boulevard, where several more cars were struck, officials said.

Angel Jorge Posca, 58, and his 12-year-old daughter, Angelina Posca, both of Palmdale, were in the red car and died at the scene, said Lt. Joe Bale of the coroner's office.

Twelve other people were injured.

Sheriff's Lt. Greg Sisneros said Costas was arrested following the crash for allegedly ignoring posted signs along Angeles Crest.

"After making several deliveries, the suspect, of Massachusetts, drove his vehicle-transport semi-truck - contrary to posted vehicle limitation signs - via the Angeles Forest Highway from the Antelope Valley into the Crescenta Valley via Angeles Crest Highway," Sisneros said.

"The resulting drive along a very winding and descending grade of road, resulted in brake failure of the suspect's semi-truck. The suspect lost control of his truck and collided into several other vehicles along Angeles Crest Highway, including the one the victims were in," Sisneros said.

While it was not immediately known how much weight Costa's truck was carrying, sheriff's officials said big-rigs weighing more than 3 tons are prohibited on the highway.

On Sept. 5, a truck carrying 70,000 pounds of onions plowed through the same intersection and into the parking lot of the Hill Street Cafe, demolishing seven vehicles but causing only one minor injury.

That crash prompted the city to ask Caltrans to improve safety in the area.

City officials claimed Thursday that Caltrans responded only by saying they needed more time to study the issue.

Firefighters and emergency personnel inspect a crash site where an out-of-control transport truck careened into several cars before coming to a stop inside a bookstore at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Angeles Crest Highway in La Canada Flintridge, on Wednesday evening, April 1, 2009. Authorities confirmed two deaths and 12 people taken to hospitals. (SGVN/Staff photo by Watchara Phomicinda/SXCity) "Yesterday's horrific accident did not have to happen," La Canada Flintridge Mayor Laura Olhasso said at a news conference, where she was joined by county Supervisor Michael Antonovich and state Assemblyman Anthony Portatino, D-Pasadena, in calling on the state to ban big-rigs from Angeles Crest.

"This type of vehicle does not belong on that highway," Antonovich said. "The time for action was yesterday."

Portantino said he introduced legislation Thursday that would ban trucks on the route. He said he hoped the issue would be fast-tracked to the governor's desk.

"Everyone knew that something could happen," he said. "No one likes to point fingers, no one likes to say someone should have done something. In this case, someone should have."

In a letter responding the city's requests following the September crash, Caltrans officials said they determined that the best course of action was to restore a truck arrester bed on the highway and install additional traffic signs.

Doug Failing, Caltrans District 7 manager, said in a news conference Thursday he was concerned by the recent accidents on the highway but pointed out that thousands of trucks pass safely through the area every day.

"There's something unique going on here," he said. "Two (accidents) is far too many."

Failing said his agency "is open to discussion" about the possibility of re-routing trucks away from Angeles Crest, or banning them from the highway altogether.

"We're happy to engage in that conversation," he said. "Its not a unilateral decision."

In the meantime, Caltrans is considering restoring a truck arrester bed between Fairview Drive and Green Lane that has been out of use. Such arrester beds are covered by gravel and designed to slow down trucks encountering brake problems.

La Canada Flintridge City Manager Mark Alexander opposed re-opening that arrester bed in a March 3 letter and requested that Caltrans build a truck escape lane further north instead.

At the crash scene, Flintridge Bookstore and Coffee House owner Lenora Wannier said it was lucky that the incident occurred when only a few customers and employees were inside.

"It occurred during dinner time, which is usually slow for us. It stunned me when I got here. There was this big hole in the front of the building," she said.

Longtime resident Kim Chafin said the hilly Angeles Crest Highway can be deceiving.

"It might not look like a bad hill, but it's a bad hill," she said.

robert.hong@sgvn.com

(626) 578-6300, Ext. 4586

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_12059131

So which is it? Maine? Massachussetts? Florida? or all three?

The name Costa is more likely to be Portuguese or Brazilian than Hispanic there is also an Albanian surname Costa.

Originally Posted by Richard

The name Costa is more likely to be Portuguese or Brazilian than Hispanic there is also an Albanian surname Costa.

They are saying maybe Brazil.

There are also felony charges against him, but they will not say what.

At least not yet.

That is why the driver is in jail.

KFI Los Angeles did a radio interview with a person who had his car delivered by this same person the day before. Quote " There was a black cloud over this person"




Angel Jorge Posca

Originally Posted by miguelina

Someone please explain to me if Costa is a resident of Massachussetts, why does the article say he has a Florida license? I didn't read about a Maine license, American-ized, do you have a link?

yes he is a resident of mass. he is an old friend of mine... i am only 18 but my family new him very very well. he is a good person... whether he did a bad choice or not... he still is a good person... and he is a great believer in God and a Christian. I am sure he is very very upset about this whole deal. And yes he is Brazilian and so am I. And i am Legal in this country and so is he, JUST PUTTING IT OUT THERE...