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Big Rig Crushes Woman's Civic

Victim seriously injured as Patch reader witnesses truck jack-knife in front of her, snaps this photo.

 

Two people were hospitalized after a big rig jacknifed on the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway interchange to the Long Beach (710) Freeway and flopped on a Honda Civic Wednesday night. The California Highway Patrol reported that the woman trapped under the truck was in serious condition and the truck driver suffered less major injury. CHP Officer Francisco Villalobos said the accident occurred at 6:18 p.m. The accident caused lanes to be closed for hours and traffic clogged for miles.

Patch reader Nicole Stark witnessed the crash and took this photograph of the overturned rig from behind it. She described the crash to Patch:

"The driver of the big rig was merging onto the 710 ramp really fast.  As he approached the sharp turn the front part of his cab turned over first then the entire truck turned over pinning the Civic. The driver of the truck got out immediately and cars started pulling over.

"I pulled over and asked my daughter to wait in the car while I went to help.... There was no blood and she (the victim) was bent over pinned. I asked her for her name. I believe she said Nora....I asked if anyone was with her in the car. She said no. I  asked her if she could feel her legs and she said no. She said, 'I can't breathe.' I told her help was on the way and she was gonna get out immediately. I had to lay on the center divider because she was pinned against the wall and I couldn't get to her. There was no way she was getting out without that truck being moved. When help arrived I stood back and let them do what they had to do."

At 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, authorities still hadn't been able to pick up the truck, said another motorist.

Patch Ad Manager Angel Garcia, stuck in the aftermath traffic, said the truck still had not been pulled off the premises by 8:30 p.m.

 

 








Sandra P

2:18 pm on Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Lora Bates passed away and leaves behind 2 young daughters.
Anyone wishing to help can contact St. Raymonds Catholic Church, Downey,CA

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Nancy Wride

3:08 pm on Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Sandra, I paged the Long Beach Fire spokesman yesterday and did not hear back or return call didn't get through to me for some reason. I am terribly sorry to hear that. I was calling for an updated condition. When did she pass away? I was amazed she survived given it took 42 minutes to extract her from beneath the overturned truck trailer. Is she local? Can we post service information? Thanks for letting us know this sad news.

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Sandra P

10:36 pm on Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Nancy I will let you know as soon as service information is available. I believe she passed away Sunday...Lora was a teachers aid at Downey Adult school.

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ange

7:42 am on Friday, February 3, 2012

Honestly there's nothing no "one" person could do, but just think in a perfect world, every motorist between the ages of 17-50 would have stopped & everyone would have tried pushing the truck off her car, im almost positive they would have at least been able to move it off her car.

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