Driver’s Son Dies, 8 Hurt as Truck’s Brakes Fail

The driver of a flatbed truck told authorities his brakes failed before an accident that killed his 4-year-old son and injured him and seven others Saturday morning in Tarzana, Los Angeles police said.

The accident occurred at 10:55 a.m. at Reseda Boulevard and the Ventura Freeway, Officer John Baby said.

The truck, carrying a heavy load of roofing, was driven by Pedro Ortega, 36, of Baldwin Park, Baby said. Ortega and his son, who has the same name, were exiting the Ventura Freeway when the truck’s brakes failed and it went through a red light at Reseda Boulevard, he said.

The truck hit a northbound station wagon carrying six people before tipping onto its side, striking a signal light on a freeway entrance ramp across Reseda Boulevard and landing on a car that was on the entrance ramp, the officer said.

As the truck flipped over, the younger Pedro Ortega apparently was thrown past his father and out the driver’s-side window, Baby said. The truck landed on the boy, who was pronounced dead at the scene, he said.

The senior Ortega was listed in fair condition with a broken arm in Northridge Hospital Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The driver of the Cadillac, Ron Ameron, 49, of Tarzana, was treated at the hospital for minor injuries and released, the spokeswoman said.

In the station wagon, driver Elizabeth Oblas, 38, and her husband, Alex, 39, sustained broken arms and were treated at Rancho Encino Hospital, Baby said. The Agoura couple’s four children--11, 9, 7 and 3 years old--suffered cuts and bruises, he said.

Police examined the 1974 truck and found broken brake lines, supporting the driver’s assertion of brake failure, Baby said. Ortega was not arrested or cited, but an investigation is continuing, Baby said.