Chatsworth, Los Angeles, CA (January 8, 2024) A truck driver, 23-year-old Manuel Camacho Jr., is dead after being impaled by a piece of lumber that fell from a flatbed truck. This tragedy occurred on the westbound Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway at approximately 8:40 a.m., authorities said. It all happened in the Chatsworth neighborhood of Los Angeles, not far from the Topanga Canyon off-ramp, the California Highway Patrol reported.
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Initial investigation revealed that 3 vehicles were actually involved in this fatal crash: a lumber truck, an SUV and a Penske rental truck. The Penske truck was driving behind the flatbed on the highway when, for reasons unknown, lumber loosened from where it was tied down on the flatbed. Officers said that lumber from the flatbed truck flew off and crashed through the windshield of the Penske truck, leaving Camacho Jr. impaled. Sadly, he was pronounced dead at the scene by authorities.
An SUV that was driving behind the Penske truck slammed into the back of the truck following the initial accident. Officers were forced to close down all of the westbound lanes of the 118 Freeway for several hours so crews could clear the roadway and officers could investigate the scene.