Driver Hit by Runaway Truck, Critically Hurt : Accident: Police say the vehicle was overweight and had bad brakes when it sped down a Glendale hill. An MTA bus also was hit.

A speeding truck that exceeded a local weight limit rumbled down a hill toward one of Glendale’s busiest intersections, ran a red light, crushed a Jeep and collided with an MTA bus full of rush-hour commuters, sending 10 people to hospitals Wednesday, officials said.

The truck driver, who said his brakes failed, was booked on suspicion of felony assault by Glendale police.

Glendale police and public works officials said the intersection of Mountain Street and Verdugo Road, a key access point to Glendale Community College, the Glendale Freeway and the Verdugo Woodlands area, has long been a trouble spot.

Last year, 25 accidents were reported at the intersection.

Police said witnesses believe that the truck was traveling more than 55 m.p.h. The speed limit on Mountain Street is 25 m.p.h.

Lorena Avantes, 21, of Montrose was driving to work about 7:25 a.m. when the truck loaded with tree trimmings struck her all-terrain vehicle broadside. She suffered broken legs, broken arms, a broken shoulder, two broken ribs and serious head injuries. She was in a coma and listed in very critical condition at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena late Wednesday.

The truck driver, Jose Velez, 38, of San Fernando knew the truck’s brakes were defective and that the truck exceeded a city-imposed vehicle weight limit of 6,000 pounds on Mountain Street by more than 2,300 pounds, police said.

“From speaking to him, it became clear that he knew the brakes were not working,” said Glendale police Sgt. Rick Young. “There are signs posted on the roadway to alert motorists of the weight restriction, and it appears he was aware of that as well.”

Avantes, described as an avid in-line skater, is a Glendale College student studying business administration. She is working her way through school, bought her own car and comes from a tightknit family, said her mother, Graciela Avantes.

“She had a lot of plans. She wanted to do a lot of things,” said the mother, who along with half a dozen friends and relatives held a vigil at the hospital. “All we’re doing now is waiting and praying.”

Nine others suffered minor injuries and were treated at hospitals, including Velez and a passenger in the truck, and six passengers aboard the MTA Line 91 bus. Another motorist suffered minor injuries when he was unable to stop and crashed into the rear of the truck.

The weight restriction was adopted in 1993 after several heavy trucks traveling down Mountain--which has an 11% grade--lost control and either entered cross traffic at Verdugo or tipped over as they tried to turn right at the bottom of the hill.