Texas Man Dies in Freeway Crash
A man sleeping in the cab of a truck was killed Friday when the driver fell asleep and plowed into another large truck on the Golden State Freeway near Fort Tejon, authorities said.
Killed in the early morning crash was a 30-year-old man from Cotulla, Tex. Police declined to identify him until family members were notified.
The driver, Robert Eugene Smith, also 30, was taken to a local hospital with a head wound. Authorities said the San Antonio, Tex., man will be charged with vehicular manslaughter.
The driver of the second truck, which was carrying hazardous waste materials, was treated at the scene and released. A few drops of the solid waste mixed with water that leaked when the crash severed a drain plug in the rear of the truck, California Highway Patrol Officer Joe Sandoval said.
Both trucks were traveling north on the Golden State Freeway near the Fort Tejon exit. Just before the collision, Smith veered left to avoid the crash but struck the second truck from the rear.
Two lanes of traffic on the freeway were closed for more than three hours.
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