BALDWIN PARK — A drunken driver drove through a freeway closure late Wednesday, striking and killing a 21-year-old road worker, authorities said.
Connor McDermott Penhall of Corona was pronounced dead at the scene of the 11:45 p.m. crash on the westbound 10 Freeway at Francisquito Avenue, California Highway Patrol Officer Kerri Rivas said.
Tatsukiho Sakamoto, 37, of Arcadia was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony drunken driving and driving without a California driver’s license, she said.
Penhall, who worked for a Caltrans contractor called Cut ‘N Core, was working on planned maintenance when the crash occurred, officials said. Authorities had completely shut down westbound lanes of the 10 Freeway at Puente Avenue to facilitate the road work.
“(Penhall) was in working in the middle lanes when a vehicle that had entered the construction zone struck the worker,” CHP Officer Rodrigo Jimenez said. Penhall was pronounced dead at the scene.
The speed at the time of the crash was not clear early Thursday, he said.
Investigating CHP officers saw “symptoms of apparent alcohol impairment,” Jimenez said, and after performing field sobriety tests, “determined he was under the influence.”
In addition to striking Penhall, Sakamoto’s Toyota RAV4 struck come work equipment and the center divider, however the sequence of events remained under investigation, Rivas said.
His SUV drove past cones and signs indicating a full freeway closure was ahead, CHP Sgt. John Escobedo said. CHP officers were also present at the closure site at the time of the crash, though their exact positions in relationship to the crash were unclear.
Via his Twitter account, Penhall’s brother, Ryan Penhall, posted in the early-morning hours, “You never know what you have until you lose it.. Don’t call me.”
Caltrans spokeswoman Maria Raptis extended the agencies sorrow to Penhall’s family.
“It’s a very sad day,” said. “We want to first send out our condolences to the family and friends and coworkers.
Through year-round safety campaigns, Caltrans tries to educate the public about watching out for road workers, “and to bring awareness to the severity of the safety issues,” Raptis said.
Since 1924, when officials began keeping records, 176 Caltrans employees have died in the line of duty, Raptis said. Including Caltrans subcontractors, the number easily exceeds 200.
In Caltrans’ District 7 alone, which is comprised of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, 32 Caltrans employee deaths have been reported on the job, Raptis said.
Caltrans hosts an annual memorial each year to remember the fallen workers.
Connor Penhall is the son of Hall of Fame motorcycle racer and actor Bruce Penhall, according to KTLA-TV. The father was the World Speedway Champion in 1981 and 1982 and appeared in the television series “CHiPS” and movies including the 1989 film, “Savage Beach.”
The son also raced motorcycles, and can be seen in an Internet video giving an interview after completing the Baja 500 race in 2009.
While Sakamoto had a Hawaiian driver’s license, he was not licensed to drive in California, she added.
According to county booking records, Sakamoto was being held in lieu of $200,000 bail at the Los Angeles County sheriff’s Industry Station pending a scheduled arraignment Monday in West Covina Superior Court.
In addition to the CHP, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is looking into the incident, officials said.
