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.