Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Driver Could Be Charged in Boy’s Death

A 16-year-old boy who died this week after falling from the back of a pickup truck and being crushed under a filing cabinet was a local resident who was helping a woman move, authorities said Thursday.

The youth, Brent Foderaro of Valencia, died shortly after midnight Wednesday, about an hour after the accident at the intersection of Wiley Canyon and Orchard Village roads, said Deputy Mark Slater of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

The driver of the truck, Aaron Schwartz, 20, of Newhall, could face criminal charges under a new state law for allowing Foderaro to ride in the back, authorities said.

Foderaro and Schwartz were using the truck to help an unidentified woman move to a new residence, Slater said. He added that Foderaro was in the bed of the truck with a washing machine and a large file cabinet, which were secured only with a household extension cord.

When the truck turned at the intersection, the file cabinet--loaded with papers and weighing at least 100 pounds--began to move, Slater said.

“Schwartz looked in his side-view mirror and saw the file cabinet and Brent falling out onto the pavement,” he said. “It appears the file cabinet landed on top of him.”

Foderaro was taken by ambulance to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia, where he died, officials said.

Schwartz told deputies the truck was traveling about 5 m.p.h. when the accident occurred. But Slater said that “seems a little unrealistic to make the load shift, wobble and fall out.”

Sheriff’s deputies have seen no skid marks or other evidence to determine at what speed the truck was traveling, he said.

A law that went into effect Jan. 1 makes it illegal for anyone to ride in the back of a pickup truck without a camper shell if proper seat belts are not installed. Slater said deputies from the Santa Clarita station have written 105 citations for violating the law so far this year.

Criminal charges of involuntary manslaughter or other offenses could be sought against Schwartz, Slater said. The deputy added that he will probably present information about the accident to prosecutors Monday.

“The driver is in control of the vehicle, and he has ultimate responsibility for the vehicle,” Slater said.