Moorpark Student Killed When Truck Hits Pole

A Moorpark High School student died Monday when the driver of the pickup truck he was riding in lost control and slammed into a telephone pole--an accident authorities say was caused by a dog creating a commotion in the truck’s cab.

California Highway Patrol investigators said that the youth was killed at the scene of the violent crash about 2:15 p.m. along Balcom Canyon Road, about two miles north of Stockton Road. Coroner’s officials would not release his name until next of kin had been notified.

Officer David Cockrill said the boy was riding in a Toyota pickup truck with a friend and a dog, which caused a disturbance in the cab of the truck moments before the collision.

“Apparently there was a dog that was in the cab, and something happened to distract the driver,” said Cockrill, who added that there was no evidence that alcohol or drugs played a role in the accident.

“The driver diverted his attention, and when he did, his car drifted off the shoulder and struck a telephone pole head-on,” Cockrill said.

The driver, whose name also was not released, survived the crash unharmed, the CHP said. Witnesses said the dog trotted away from the scene minutes after the fatal crash.

Both boys were wearing seat belts, although the safety device offered no protection to the passenger, according to the CHP.

“The truck took the hit just right of the center, so there was not a whole lot to absorb the impact,” Cockrill said.

Evidence at the scene led investigators to conclude that the driver never saw the telephone pole.

“There were no skid marks,” Cockrill said. “The driver said he was doing about 45 [mph], which you kind of assume was a minimum speed. He just took the telephone pole at full speed.”

CHP investigators will probably recommend that felony charges be filed against the driver.

“We’ll have to at least suggest that manslaughter charges be filed,” Cockrill said. “It’s up to the district attorney whether or not they get filed.”