BUENA PARK : Man Killed as Car Caught Under Truck

A Los Angeles man was killed early Saturday morning when the southbound car in which he was riding was caught under the rear wheel of a big rig also heading south on the Santa Ana Freeway, the California Highway Patrol said. Alfonso Pinela, 23, one of four men in a 1974 Chevrolet, died in the 1:11 a.m. two-vehicle accident, said CHP dispatcher Don Thorpe. There were no other injuries, Thorpe said. The driver of the Chevrolet, Gustavo G. Ortega, 24, of Los Angeles, lost control of the automobile near the Artesia Boulevard off-ramp when a rear tire blew out, Thorpe said. The car veered left into the next lane, Thorpe said. As it spun around, it was caught under the trailer of a big rig, driven by Robert Johnson, 53, of Pomona. Part of the car was crushed by the truck’s rear wheels.