Local News in Brief : Man Killed While Leaning Out of Truck

A Canoga Park man was killed when he was struck in the head while leaning out the passenger window of a moving pickup truck, authorities said Sunday.

John Mauk, 25, died of massive head injuries shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday at Valley Hospital Medical Center in Van Nuys, said Sgt. Bob Farkas of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Traffic Division. The truck’s driver, Benny Hernandez, 24, of Sun Valley was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter. He was in jail Sunday in lieu of $5,700 bail.

Details of the accident were sketchy. A motorist reported it to police about 10:30 p.m. after he noticed blood running down the door of a silver pickup at Balboa Boulevard and Saticoy Street.

Police said they may never know exactly what happened. Farkas said Mauk and Hernandez had been drinking in a Canyon Country restaurant and that Mauk probably became ill and hung his head out the window to vomit. He said Hernandez may have swerved and sideswiped a parked car or a telephone pole.

“This is one of those unfortunate traffic accidents where we have no idea why he was doing what he was doing,” Farkas said.

Hernandez, who was unfamiliar with the area, drove around for an unknown amount of time looking for a hospital, police said.

Police were seeking to determine the location of the accident.