Pittsburg: Big-rig driver dies after fiery crash into strip mall
By Natalie Neysa Alund Bay Area News Group
Posted: 03/16/2015 09:09:39 AM PDT
A big-rig driver was killed in Pittsburg, Calif. on Monday March
16, 2015, after a truck slammed into a strip mall on Railroad Avenue,
setting the building on fire. Before the crash, the truck also collided
with a few other vehicles. It was not immediately known if anyone else
was injured. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
PITTSBURG -- A big-rig driver was killed Monday morning after a
truck slammed into a strip mall on Railroad Avenue, setting the
building on fire, police and fire officials said.
Emergency crews were dispatched at 8:24 a.m. to the 3800 block of Railroad Avenue near Linscheid Drive after witnesses reported an explosion there, police Capt. Ron Raman said.
George Melgoza, who lives on Madeline Street across from the strip mall, said he heard a big boom and just before the impact heard what sounded like the screeching of brakes.
"I thought it was an earthquake. I ran out of my house, went over the fence and saw a big fire," he said.
Witnesses, including Melgoza, said they heard the truck driver yelling and called 911.
Police and fire arrived to find smoke coming from a strip mall, where the big-rig had crashed into a building housing a Mexican restaurant and a beauty supply store, according to Raman.
Police found the truck driver dead inside the cabin of the semi, which was almost entirely inside the building. The driver's identity was not released.
Before the crash, the truck also collided with a few other vehicles, including a minivan and a pickup truck. It was not immediately known if anyone else was injured.
A preliminary investigation revealed the big-rig may have had a mechanical failure, Raman said.
Walnut Creek resident David Gardner said he was sitting in his minivan at the stoplight on Linscheid Drive in the left-hand turn lane when he looked in his rearview mirror and saw an 18-wheeler barreling toward him out of control.
There was no time for him to move.
The big rig tapped the right rear corner of his car, denting it, but kept going, said Gardner, who was not injured.
"It basically missed me," he said. "As I got out (of the car) it was like a Hollywood set. Fire all around and explosions."
About two dozen people stood outside crime-scene tape that surrounded the strip mall mid morning as firefighters battled a two-alarm fire at the strip mall, Contra Costa County fire spokesman Robert Marshall said.
A charred pickup truck with major front end damage rested near the big rig.
Police were asking motorists to avoid the area and use Harbor Street or Loveridge Road for north and southbound traffic.
Check back for updates.
Contact Natalie Neysa Alund at 510-293-2469. Follow her at Twitter.com/nataliealund.
Emergency crews were dispatched at 8:24 a.m. to the 3800 block of Railroad Avenue near Linscheid Drive after witnesses reported an explosion there, police Capt. Ron Raman said.
George Melgoza, who lives on Madeline Street across from the strip mall, said he heard a big boom and just before the impact heard what sounded like the screeching of brakes.
"I thought it was an earthquake. I ran out of my house, went over the fence and saw a big fire," he said.
Witnesses, including Melgoza, said they heard the truck driver yelling and called 911.
Police and fire arrived to find smoke coming from a strip mall, where the big-rig had crashed into a building housing a Mexican restaurant and a beauty supply store, according to Raman.
Police found the truck driver dead inside the cabin of the semi, which was almost entirely inside the building. The driver's identity was not released.
Before the crash, the truck also collided with a few other vehicles, including a minivan and a pickup truck. It was not immediately known if anyone else was injured.
A preliminary investigation revealed the big-rig may have had a mechanical failure, Raman said.
Walnut Creek resident David Gardner said he was sitting in his minivan at the stoplight on Linscheid Drive in the left-hand turn lane when he looked in his rearview mirror and saw an 18-wheeler barreling toward him out of control.
There was no time for him to move.
The big rig tapped the right rear corner of his car, denting it, but kept going, said Gardner, who was not injured.
"It basically missed me," he said. "As I got out (of the car) it was like a Hollywood set. Fire all around and explosions."
About two dozen people stood outside crime-scene tape that surrounded the strip mall mid morning as firefighters battled a two-alarm fire at the strip mall, Contra Costa County fire spokesman Robert Marshall said.
A charred pickup truck with major front end damage rested near the big rig.
Police were asking motorists to avoid the area and use Harbor Street or Loveridge Road for north and southbound traffic.
Check back for updates.
Contact Natalie Neysa Alund at 510-293-2469. Follow her at Twitter.com/nataliealund.
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