Man Injured Trying to Stop Dump Truck

A Ventura man was seriously injured in a freak accident Monday after a runaway dump truck rolled over a 35-foot-high embankment and slammed into a recreational vehicle in an apartment complex lot, police said.

Louis Leupold, 67, had his left ankle nearly severed when a rear tire of the 2 1/2-ton truck loaded with earth ran over his foot as he unsuccessfully sought to reach the vehicle’s cab to hit the brakes, officials said.

Leupold was listed in good condition at Ventura County Medical Center.

Leupold was grading a lot he owns at 1009 Church St. in Ventura in preparation for moving a manufactured home onto the site when the accident occurred, said Sgt. Jerry Thurston of the Ventura Police Department.

Shortly after noon, the truck began rolling down the steep hill above the 56-unit Hawaiian Village apartments.

Despite Leupold’s efforts to stop the truck, the vehicle continued down the hill, plummeted over the embankment and a 3-foot-high retaining wall, flipped on its side and smashed into the side of the parked 40-foot-long RV.

The impact ruptured the truck’s gas tank, causing a small fuel spill, Thurston said.

The 1988 International truck was totaled in the crash and the luxury RV sustained major damage.

Police are investigating why the truck rolled down the hill and city officials are looking at safety procedures at the construction site, Thurston said.