Truck Driver Charged in Toxic Waste Leak
A truck driver for a Camarillo-based hazardous waste business was charged Tuesday with multiple criminal counts stemming from a 1995 incident that forced the evacuation of a Chatsworth business complex, Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn announced.
Inglewood resident J. Concepcion Carrera, 40, was transporting 100 gallons of nitric acid and water plus residue from an earlier load of hazardous materials on Aug. 8, 1995, when a chemical reaction caused toxic fumes to leak from his tanker truck, said Deputy City Atty. Rubin Harsoyo.
As a precaution, city fire and police officials evacuated an adjacent business center in the 9600 block of Cozycroft Avenue, but the vapors did not cause any injuries or property damage.
Also charged Tuesday was Carrera’s employer, King Hazardous Waste Co. Inc. of Camarillo. Carrera and the company were each charged with failing to notify authorities of the release of hazardous waste, failing to properly place warning placards on the tanker truck and failing to properly mark a tank containing hazardous waste.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Arraignment is set for Aug. 29 in Los Angeles Municipal Court.
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