2 Die When Car Rear-Ends Truck

Two San Fernando Valley men died Thursday when their car slammed into a truck that had stalled on the Ronald Reagan Freeway, snarling morning traffic for nearly four hours, officials said.

The car rear-ended the truck, which was stopped in a westbound lane after having mechanical problems.

The car’s driver, Francisco Gonzalez, 23, of Pacoima, and his uncle, Jose Gonzalez, 43, of Sun Valley, were killed in the accident, which blocked two lanes of the freeway just east of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Louis Pravettone A third person in the 1995 Ford Mustang, the driver’s brother, Juan Gonzalez, 29, of Pacoima, was taken to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, where he was treated for facial cuts and released, hospital officials said.

The three had been heading to a tree-service job off Topanga Canyon Boulevard, CHP Officer Derek Kawai said.

None of the truck’s three occupants was injured, Pravettone said.

The truck’s driver, Carlos Reynoso, 36, of Sylmar, was also heading to work when his vehicle began having engine trouble, so he tried to pull over, Pravettone said.

The truck stalled before it could get to the shoulder. One car managed to swerve around it, but the Mustang hit the truck and ended up beneath it, officials said.

Witnesses said the Mustang was traveling 60 to 65 mph when it collided with the truck.

Crouching next to the freeway buffer after the accident, Reynoso alternately cried and stared at the cars crawling by, shielding the sun with his hand. He declined to comment on the accident Thursday.

The three right lanes of the freeway were blocked until about 10:30 a.m., causing a four-mile backup.