Truck Loses Control; Three Are Injured

Three people were injured when a driver lost control of his dump truck on Hawthorne Boulevard, struck a pickup truck and careened through four busy intersections during rush hour traffic Thursday evening.

The driver, Sarkishaygaz Cholakyan, 34, of Los Angeles, apparently lost his brakes Thursday as he was traveling northbound down a steep slope on Hawthorne Boulevard just south of Palos Verdes Drive North, said Sheriff’s Sgt. Jim Miller. A witness said he saw smoke coming from the three-axle truck’s brakes as it careened out of control, Miller said.

When Cholakyan’s truck reached the intersection with Palos Verdes Drive North in Rolling Hills Estates, it broadsided a pickup, which rolled over once, Miller said.

Livrado Martinez, 52, of Anaheim, the driver of the pickup, was listed in stable condition at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center on Friday. His two brothers, whose names were not available, were riding with him. They were treated at Torrance Memorial Medical Center and released, Deputy Eugene Peterson said.

Cholakyan’s truck continued on, safely clearing several major intersections, including Rolling Hills Road, Via Valmonte and Newton Street, Miller said. He also made it through the intersection with Pacific Coast Highway, which Miller said is especially busy during rush hour.

He said Cholakyan honked his horn to alert motorists to stay clear of his truck.

“I’m amazed that he cleared that intersection,” Miller said. “That’s a luck-out.”

After clearing that intersection, the truck slowed and came to a stop at Lomita and Hawthorne boulevards in Torrance, Miller said. Cholakyan was uninjured, and his truck sustained minor damage, he said.

Miller said he did not know why Cholakyan did not use one of the two runaway truck ramps along the route.