First posted 9:25am Friday, November 4
This first post correctly stated that the man had been run over by a county truck.
Updated at 11:03am
This update incorrectly said the man had been run over by a lifeguard truck. The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Lifeguard Division was at the scene helping the man. They had not run him over.
Updated 1:49pm Saturday, November 5
A man suffered serious injuries when a Los Angeles County beach maintenance truck struck him while he was sleeping on the sand at Venice Beach, authorities said.
The accident occurred around 8:45 a.m. at 417 Ocean Front Walk. While “alert and oriented” the man complained of lower back pain and was taken to UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, according to Carol Baker of the Department of Beaches and Harbors.
“The driver of the vehicle, a grounds maintenance worker with the
department for more than 15 years, had finished cleaning the Rose Avenue parking lot with a cleaning crew and was proceeding south along the beach near the bike path when he was flagged down by a beach patron about another maintenance need,” Baker said.
“As he turned the vehicle to respond to the new call, one of the maintenance pick-up truck’s wheels struck the victim, who was reclining on the beach with a blanket,” she said.
Capt. Eric Howell of the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Lifeguard Division, which responded to the scene along with the Los Angeles Fire Department, reported the man’s age as 51 years old. The LAFD said he was 53.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s West Traffic Division is investigating the accident. Police interviewed the driver but would not release his name. The Department of Beaches and Harbors has suspended the man from performing some of his regular duties, including driving, pending the conclusion of the department’s investigation into the incident says Baker.
