Driver of Pickup Killed in Garden Grove Crash

A motorist was killed Monday morning in Garden Grove when his pickup truck was forced off the road and possibly sideswiped by another car, causing the truck to roll over, shear off a utility pole, ram a pet-grooming shop and burst into flames, police said.

The victim was tentatively identified as David Bell, 35, of Garden Grove. Because the body was severely burned, coroner’s investigators were checking dental records to confirm the identity.

The fire, ignited when the truck’s gas cap tore off as it rolled over, charred the side of Logan’s Purple Groom at 14411 Brookhurst St.; a damage estimate was was not immediately available.

The accident occurred about 7 a.m. when a compact car driven by Gregory Gonzalez Jr., 18, of Garden Grove struck the center divider on Brookhurst near 11th Street, veered to the right and clipped the front of another car driven by Robert Patterson, 26, also of Garden Grove, according to Police Sgt. Bruce Beauchamp.

Gonzalez’s car veered back to the left, struck the center curb a second time and again swerved to the right, apparently sideswiping Bell’s pickup truck and forcing it off the road, Beauchamp said.

Gonzalez’s car then rolled over twice before landing on its wheels in the middle of the road. Gonzalez was treated for minor cuts and bruises and later released from Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center.

Patterson was not injured.

No citations were issued, Beauchamp said, adding that traffic officers will investigate the accident and turn the case over to the district attorney’s office.