Police Checkpoints Spot Unsafe Trucks

Police issued 30 safety citations Thursday in a crackdown on commercial trucks that was prompted by a rash of accidents in Anaheim Hills.

The steep, winding roads of Anaheim Hills may have contributed to three serious truck accidents in the past month, but police say other factors also played a part.

In all cases, trucks lost control while going downhill.

“Luck was on everybody’s side,” said Sgt. Rick Martinez of the Anaheim Police Department. “These could have been fatal accidents.”

On Thursday, officers from the Anaheim and Brea Police Departments and the California Highway Patrol set up two checkpoints in the neighborhood and performed inspections of everything from trucks’ weight to brakes.

Besides the 30 safety violations found, one truck had so many problem a mechanic had to fix it at the scene, Martinez said.

Officials hope the checkpoints will prevent another string of accidents like the recent one.

In one crash, a truck lost its brakes near the intersection of Nohl Ranch Road and Imperial Highway, went through a red light and then crashed into a construction ditch. A construction worker was struck and injured.

In another incident, a cement truck coming down Canyon Rim Road lost its brakes. The driver narrowly avoided crashing into a preschool. He drove through an intersection and hit an embankment.