Family to mark tragic anniversary

Family and friends of the two people killed on April 1, 2009, when their car was struck by a runaway big rig on Angeles Crest Highway will gather on Saturday in Glenola Park in La Canada Flintridge following a memorial motorcycle ride.

Palmdale resident Angel Posca and his 12-year-old daughter Angelina died two years ago Friday after the runaway truck lost its brakes while descending the steep mountain pass and colliding with several vehicles before smashing into a storefront on the south side of Foothill Boulevard.

Marcos Costa, the truck’s driver, faces trial later this month on charges of murder, vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving. Costa and his attorney argue that unsafe road conditions and improper maintenance of Angeles Crest Highway, including the lack of warning signs and runway truck escape ramps, are to blame.

Participants in the memorial ride will leave Palmdale at 9 a.m. and expect to arrive by 10:30 a.m. at Glenola Park, located at the corner of Vista del Valle Road and Angeles Crest Highway. Posca, who preferred to go by the name George, was a Harley-Davidson enthusiast.

“This is a really hard time of year for us,” said Kristen Eddy, a longtime family friend and Pasadena clinical psychologist who often speaks for the Posca family. The memorial ride, she said, “is one way that we can feel closer to them. This is a way to keep their memory alive.”