Truck Slams Into Jeep, Bus; 10 Injured : Crash: Driver says the brakes failed on his vehicle. Police say it exceeded the weight limit on the steep Glendale roadway.

A speeding truck that exceeded a local safety weight limit rumbled down a long 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 Wednesday, sending 10 people to local hospitals, authorities said.

The truck driver, who was arrested on suspicion of felony assault, said his brakes failed.

The accident occurred about 7:25 a.m. at the intersection of Mountain Street and Verdugo Road.

Lorena Avantes, 21, of Montrose was driving to work when the truck loaded with tree trimmings struck her Jeep broadside. Despite the seat belt she was wearing, Avantes suffered two broken legs, two broken arms, a broken shoulder, two broken ribs and serious head injuries, members of her family said. Avantes was in a coma and listed in very critical condition late Wednesday at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.

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. Witnesses reported his speed at more than 55 m.p.h., over the posted speed limit of 25 m.p.h., 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 roller blader, is a Glendale College student studying business administration. She is working her way through school, bought her own car, and comes from a tight-knit 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 carried out a vigil at the hospital. “All we’re doing now is waiting and praying.”

Nine others suffered minor injuries and were treated at local hospitals, including Velez and a passenger in the truck and six of the 25 passengers aboard the MTA line 91 bus. Another motorist suffered minor injuries when he was unable to stop and crashed into the rear of Velez’s truck.

In addition, 16 bus riders complaining of pain were treated at the scene by paramedics.

Shaken bus passengers vividly described the crash, saying there was no warning.

“It was a total shock,” said Reginald Curry, 83, who was riding from his Montrose home to Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in southern Glendale, where he works as an organist.

“If he [Velez] hit the brakes, we sure didn’t hear it. I was sitting on the left side of the bus, which is where it was hit. My God, all of a sudden we were all just thrown out of our seats and into the aisle. Everyone was piled on top of each other,” Curry said.

Eyewitness Gregg Laskin, 29, of Glendale, was filling up at a gas station at Verdugo and Mountain, where the crash occurred.

“There was just a huge bang, and then I saw the debris flying out of the truck everywhere,” said Laskin. “The bus was spun around completely in the other direction by the impact. The bus driver did a great job to avoid hitting anybody else.”

Laskin and an off-duty Glendale Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Howard, who was jogging in the area, ran to assist Avantes and held her head up until paramedics arrived.

“It was obvious they were going to have to cut her out of the car. It was so twisted and damaged beyond belief,” Laskin said.

Glendale police and public works officials said the intersection, 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.

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. In one “close call,” a gasoline tanker lost its brakes and slid into the intersection, said City Manager David Ramsay.

“No one was hurt, but it was still a very frightening incident,” Ramsay said. “It forced us to look at the situation at that intersection and take some steps.”

Ramsay said the steep grade poses great difficulties for drivers of large trucks. City officials had hoped the weight limit, which is posted, would alleviate the problem.

“In terms of preventing this kind of thing, maybe we could consider allowing no heavy vehicles of any kind, period,” said Mayor Rick Reyes. “But that’s something our traffic department would have to study.”

Young said the cause of the accident is under investigation and police have three days to decide whether to file charges against the truck driver.

Family members said Avantes had planned to transfer from Glendale College to Cal State Northridge or Cal State Los Angeles next year, and eventually to pursue a career in marketing. Her boyfriend of two years, Robert Koppel, was among the nervous friends gathered at the hospital.

“I was going to buy that Jeep of hers,” said Demetrius Navarro, 26, a family friend. “Now I wish I would have.”