Local News in Brief : Freak Accident Kills Driver

A motorist was killed in Norwalk when a piece of aluminum siding that blew off a truck on the other side of the freeway crashed through the windshield, striking him in the head and causing his car to ram a light pole, the California Highway Patrol said Friday.

CHP spokesman Lyle Whitten said Robert K. Karasawa, 65, of Fullerton was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred Thursday morning on the Santa Ana Freeway near the Bloomfield Avenue exit.

A pickup truck carrying the aluminum siding--part of a sliding door--was headed south on the freeway when the oblong, 40-pound object suddenly blew off, flying over the center divider and crashing through the windshield of Karasawa’s northbound auto. Whitten said the motorist was probably killed by the impact. The auto continued for about a quarter of mile before swerving and crashing into a light pole on the freeway shoulder, he said.

The driver of the pickup, Timothy Plateroti, 24, of Santa Ana continued south, not realizing that the aluminum siding was missing, Whitten said. He did make the discovery several miles away and informed his employer. Whitten said CHP officers are investigating the incident.