Woman Dies as Truck Hits Car

A 35-year-old woman was killed Sunday when her car was rear-ended by a city of Los Angeles maintenance truck, authorities said.

The 5 p.m. accident occurred on the transition road between the westbound Simi Valley Freeway and the southbound Golden State Freeway, California Highway Patrol Officer Shirley Gaines said.

The woman, whose name was not released pending notification of her relatives, was in the front passenger seat of a sedan stopped in the second lane of the transition road. The car was struck from behind by a five-ton Department of Street Maintenance truck, Gaines said.

Investigators said it was unclear why the driver of the car, a man believed to be in his early 50s, stopped in the middle of the roadway.

The transition road was closed for two hours after the accident, Gaines said.

The driver, who was not identified, went into convulsions when paramedics arrived and was taken to Holy Cross Medical Center where he was listed in serious condition, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

No one was injured in the city truck, Humphrey said.