PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT: Two Men Changing Tire Fatally Struck on 605 Freeway
November 27, 2010
Irwindale – Two men were killed Saturday morning after a car struck both of them as they were about to finish changing a tire, authorities said.
The two men who were co-workers were identified as Pedro Pedroza, 43, and Ricardo Beltran, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Investigator Jim Blacklock said. The accident occurred around 11 am on the southbound shoulder of 605 Freeway, south of Arrow Highway.
The men were already putting away their tools after changing a tire when the driver of a Ford Taurus tried to avoid colliding with a sedan but lost control of the vehicle instead, striking both men, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Kurt Stormes said. It then veered back into traffic lanes but eventually collided with another car.
Pedroza died at the scene, while Beltran was pronounced dead in the emergency room of Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. The driver of the Taurus was reportedly running at about 70 mph, which is beyond the 65-mph limit. However, Stormes said that speed was not necessarily a factor in the crash.
No arrests or citations were made Saturday. CHP issued a Sig-Alert for two right lanes of the freeway until 2 pm. The crash is being investigated by the CHP Baldwin Park office.