Flagman Dies After Being Hit by Dump Truck
A flagman trying to stop traffic for one tractor-trailer was hit and killed by a truck in a construction area on Irvine Boulevard on Thursday afternoon, Irvine police said.
The incident occurred at 2:30 p.m. east of Marketplace Drive. The worker killed was identified as Dagoberto Diaz de la Torre, 26, of Ontario.
De la Torre may have been trying to stop vehicles in the eastbound lane of Irvine Boulevard to allow a truck to pass, police said. He apparently stepped backward into the path of another tractor-trailer and was run over by the rear tires of truck, police said.
The vehicle was driven by Ryan Prikel, 28, of Huntington Beach. Police said Prikel was in the process of dumping dirt into the median as part of the construction project.
De la Torre was transported to Western Medical Center-Anaheim, where he was pronounced dead. Prikel was not cited, but an investigation is continuing. Witnesses are asked to call investigator Doug Coffing at (949) 724-7024.
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