COMPTON (CNS) – The driver of the trash truck killed in a collision in an unincorporated area near Compton was identified by the coroner’s office today as 60-year-old Jose Vargas of Wilmington.
Vargas was driving the 2012 truck westbound on Compton Boulevard, entering the intersection with Broadway in Rosewood, about 5:40 a.m. Thursday when it collided with a southbound 2016 Mack truck driven by a 48-year-old Blythe man, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The passenger compartment of the trash truck detached from the frame of the vehicle and slid, with its windshield facing down, along the street in a southwesterly direction across all lanes of Broadway, an officer said.
The passenger compartment hit a curb and Vargas was ejected and ended up trapped beneath the truck, according to the CHP, which reported he was not using a safety restraint.
Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters pronounced Vargas dead at the scene of the crash, the CHP said.
“The cause of the crash is under investigation,” a CHP statement said. “No alcohol or drugs are suspected as factors in the collision.”
The other driver was not injured and was not arrested.
