MARCH 16, 2015
PITTSBURG, CALIFORNIA
A runaway big-rig truck hit at least three cars Monday
before finally veering into a vacant restaurant and exploding, killing its
driver, police and fire officials said.
The big-rig driver was pronounced dead at the scene after
the truck slammed into the restaurant around 8:25 a.m. at a strip mall in the
3800 block of Railroad Avenue, near Linscheid Drive, Pittsburg police Capt. Ron
Raman said.
No one else was injured.
Several witnesses reported the smell of brakes and clutch
fluid as the truck moved north on Railroad Avenue after coming down Kirker Pass
Road, used by many drivers as an alternate route to bypass Highway 4 between
Pittsburg and Walnut Creek. The truck tapped one car on Kirker Pass Road,
according to a witness, then appeared to go between an SUV and pickup truck
stopped at a light at the intersection of Linscheid Drive.
From there, witnesses said, it veered right into the
restaurant, which was closed. The driver and passenger in the pickup truck in
the right-hand lane at Linscheid Drive walked away despite severe crash and
fire damage to the pickup.
"It was a very surreal experience," said Walnut
Creek resident Dave Gardner, the SUV driver. He was not hurt in the crash.
"When you get away from the moment and decompress, it almost feels like a
second chance at life."
Gardner was waiting to turn left when he said he looked into
his rearview mirror and saw an "18-wheeler barreling right at me. ... You
think it might be the very end."
Gardner said the big rig drove between his SUV and the
pickup, lightly hitting the SUV, before crashing into the restaurant. That
collision resulted in an explosion that witnesses said could be heard from at
least two blocks away.
"I thought it was an earthquake," said 19-year-old
George Melgoza, who lives on Madeline Street, just across from the strip mall.
"I ran out of my house, went over the fence and saw a big fire."
Witnesses, including Melgoza, said they heard the truck
driver yelling and called 911.
"As I got out of my car, it was like a Hollywood
set," Gardner said. "Fire all around and explosions."
The two-alarm blaze appeared to gut Los Patrones Mexican
Food, and neighboring businesses in the strip mall appeared to have been
damaged. The shopping center was renovated a couple of years ago.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.
The truck may have been having mechanical trouble as it was
coming down Kirker Pass Road. Marvin Tompkins, 31, said he was coming down Kirker
Pass when the truck went by, tapped his car and swerved. He said the driver
appeared to be doing what he could to slow down.
By going into the restaurant, the truck driver avoided
vehicles ahead of him in an area of Railroad Avenue that clogs with cars as it
approaches the freeway onramp.
Witnesses say the restaurant exploded at impact.
"I could feel the flash. The building shook," explained Dr. Ronnie Quesada, a neighbor.
So many flames that witnesses say the driver had little or no chance.
"I have a feeling the way it looks that he was trying to get out, but it was too late. The body was overhanging the door," said Ricki Bassi, a witness.
The drivers body remained there until well past noon.
Among the lucky survivors, David Gardner, who drove one of the cars the big rig hit on its way in.
"It is my birthday today. My new birthday. Four feet over and this guy would not be doing my blood pressure right now," said David Gardner, a survivor.
"I could feel the flash. The building shook," explained Dr. Ronnie Quesada, a neighbor.
So many flames that witnesses say the driver had little or no chance.
"I have a feeling the way it looks that he was trying to get out, but it was too late. The body was overhanging the door," said Ricki Bassi, a witness.
The drivers body remained there until well past noon.
Among the lucky survivors, David Gardner, who drove one of the cars the big rig hit on its way in.
"It is my birthday today. My new birthday. Four feet over and this guy would not be doing my blood pressure right now," said David Gardner, a survivor.
Dozens of people wandered by the scene and stood outside
crime-scene tape to observe. Almost 10
years ago, a runaway big rig on Railroad Avenue left another destructive trail.
In April 2005, a big rig hit two vehicles and crashed into a house, sending
five people to the hospital and closing three major commuter roads for several
hours.
Source:www.mercurynews.com