MOORPARK : Driver Loses Control, Dumps Load of Sand

Hot on the heels of an environmental report warning of increased truck traffic through Moorpark, a tractor-trailer dumped its load of sand onto the City Hall lawn Wednesday after the driver lost control on a curve.

Cleveland Bonner III, 38, of Canoga Park was driving south on Moorpark Avenue about 1:10 p.m. when he lost control near Wicks Road, a Ventura County sheriff’s report said.

The Transit Mix Concrete Co. truck tipped onto its side, snapping a power line support pole and spilling its three-ton load, according to the report by Sgt. Keith Parks. The sand spilled on the lawn bordering the road and into the City Hall parking lot more than 20 feet away, reaching several private cars.

Bonner was taken to Simi Valley Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, Parks said.

Jim Aguilera, director of Moorpark’s planning department, said the crash felt like an earthquake.

“Some people in City Hall were really shook up,” he said. “They were afraid it was going to plow into the building.”

The sand did not damage the cars, Ventura County Fire Engineer Ron Taylor said. His crew was called from its station just a few yards away to clean up several gallons of diesel fuel that spilled from the truck’s tanks, he said.

The mess tied up traffic for more than two hours, authorities said.

Moorpark sheriff’s deputies are investigating the accident.

City officials received an environmental impact report last week on an extension of a 50-year operating permit that would allow Transit Mix to expand.

The report, which is being reviewed by county officials, warns that 80% of the estimated 1,600 truck trips that Transit Mix would generate each day will go through the downtown area. City officials have repeatedly expressed concern about the traffic.

“We want to impress upon the county how much this is a real-life issue for us,” Aguilera said. “It’s not just a document.”