Mechanic Crushed to Death by Vehicle

The 56-year-old co-owner of an Aliso Viejo auto repair shop was killed Saturday when a four-wheel-drive vehicle slipped off an elevated ramp and crushed him, authorities said.

Gordon Thompson of Dove Canyon, co-owner of La Paz Service Center in the 27800 block of Aliso Creek Road, was working on the vehicle’s transmission just before 3 p.m. when it fell on him, causing massive head and chest injuries, Capt. Scott Brown of the Orange County Fire Authority said.

Thompson was trapped beneath the heavy vehicle when rescue workers arrived. Paramedics consulting with doctors at a local hospital pronounced Thompson dead at 3:20 p.m., Brown said.

Lt. Mike Heacock of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said that Cal/OSHA was contacted about Thompson’s death because the incident occurred in a workplace. Brown said Cal/OSHA investigators probably would focus on the ramp that had been supporting the vehicle.