POMONA — Authorities Thursday released the names of a La Puente man and a Downey man killed in a violent crash between two trucks on a freeway transition road in Pomona.
Jose Antonio Garcia, 25, of La Puente and Jorge Garcia, 61, of Downey died in the crash, which took place about 8:50 a.m. Wednesday on the connector road between the eastbound 60 Freeway and the southbound 71 Freeway, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. Larry Dietz said.
Jose Garcia was a passenger in a 1999 Chevrolet box truck hauling snack food and change, according to California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles County Fire Department officials. The truck was being driven by a 34-year-old Riverside man.
Prior to the collision, Jorge Garcia was standing beside his 2010 Volvo big rig, which was parked along the right shoulder with its hazard lights activated and the engine running, CHP Officer Robert Ruiz said in a written statement. He was believed to be standing on the driver-side of the truck, nearest to the roadway.
The driver of the box truck, “allowed his vehicle to drift onto the shoulder of the connector road, where the right front portion of (the box truck) struck the left, rear portion of (the big rig’s) trailer,” Ruiz said.
Jose Garcia was severely injured in the impact, officials said. The out of control box truck continued moving forward and struck Jorge Garcia.
Both men were pronounced dead at the scene.
The box truck came to rest in traffic lanes of the transition road, spilling its entire load into the roadway, fire Capt. Larry Jordan said.
The box truck was nearly unrecognizable, he added. “It looked like it exploded.”
The driver of the box truck was hospitalized with moderate injuries, including lacerated tendons in his arm, officials said.
The cause of the crash remained under investigation.
The connector road remained shut down for about six hours as officers investigated the scene.