2 Killed While Pushing Stalled Truck on Simi Freeway

A Los Angeles man and his grandson were killed when a car struck them as they tried to push a stalled truck off the Simi Valley Freeway before dawn on Thursday, authorities said.

Gaudensio Dumas, 67, and Alberto Dumas, 17, were pushing from the rear of the 2 1/2-ton flatbed truck, which had stalled in the left westbound lane of the freeway near Tapo Canyon Road, said California Highway Patrol Officer Jim Utter.

The Dumases were struck at 5:40 a.m. by a 1977 Chevrolet sedan driven by Benjamin Alfaro, 41, of Reseda, Utter said. Alfaro was treated for minor injuries at Simi Valley Adventist Hospital, Utter said.

The cause of the accident was under investigation, CHP Officer Steve Trueblood said.

Trueblood said Miguel Santos, 42, also of Los Angeles, and the two men got out of the truck to push after it rolled to a stop on the freeway.

Alfaro “saw this situation at the last second,” locked his brakes and skidded 35 feet before hitting the Dumases, Trueblood said.

It was unclear where Santos, who owns the truck, was at the time of the accident. He was not injured, Trueblood said.

A passenger in Alfaro’s car, Francisco Bautista, 22, of Northridge, was hospitalized with facial cuts and bruises, Utter said.