Construction Beams Kill 1 Man, Injure Another in Fullerton Truck Accident

A man was killed in a freak accident in Fullerton on Wednesday when the car he was driving struck steel construction beams extending from the rear of a tractor-trailer, police said.

The collision, which nearly sheared off the top of the car, instantly killed the driver, said Sgt. Ron Gillett, a spokesman for the Fullerton Police Department. A second driver who ran into the same truck was taken by helicopter to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he remains in critical condition.

The first accident occurred shortly after 6 a.m., Gillett said, when the driver of the truck carrying the I beams turned from Raymond Avenue onto Walnut Avenue. The driver, who has not been identified, said he thought Walnut was a through street, Gillett said. When he discovered that it dead-ended, he began to back the truck up, Gillett said.

The truck and the beams were blocked from view by a brick wall and trees at that intersection, Gillett said.

“You can’t back up if it’s unsafe to do so, but I’m not a traffic [investigator],” Gillett said. “What does this guy do [instead]?”

As the truck reversed back on Raymond Avenue, a Honda sedan ran into the beams, which were protruding from the rear of the truck about 12 feet and were perpendicular to the car, Gillett said.

The beams, which are about 15 to 18 inches across, had the required red flag warning motorists, but the rusty beams are dark and it was not yet daylight, Gillett said, so the beams and the red flag were difficult to see.

The car continued for an additional 100 yards until it ran off the road, Gillett said. There were no skid marks, he said.

Moments later, another motorist in a Toyota sedan struck the rear of the same truck, taking off much of the top of that car as well, Gillett said.

The second driver remains hospitalized with facial cuts and internal injuries, Gillett said.

Both drivers, who appeared to be in their 40s or 50s, were the sole occupants in their cars, Gillett said. The truck driver was uninjured. He has not been cited, Gillett said, but the accidents remain under investigation.