Runaway Semi Sets Off 12-Car Crash

A trucker with an expired license and a history of traffic citations barreled down a steep Anaheim Hills road after his brakes failed, setting off a series of collisions Thursday morning that killed one man and injured six motorists.

The 12-vehicle crash confirmed neighbors’ long-standing fears about the intersection, where police have responded to two serious incidents involving semis in the past few months.

Kenneth Michael Larkin, 53, an optometrist from Anaheim Hills, died at the scene. The truck driver, Anthony Robert Saiz, 47, of Lakewood, remains in critical condition.

“These steep streets are horrible,” said Carmen Cutting, who has lived in Anaheim Hills for four years. “It’s dangerous. Every day I see cars flying.”

The accident occurred at 7:30 a.m., just before parents began dropping their children off at a nearby elementary school.

The commercial truck, carrying gravel and towing a tractor on a flatbed, was traveling north about 35 mph on Imperial Highway at Nohl Ranch Road and blasting its air horn before it came to the intersection, witnesses and police said.

Saiz’s license expired in June 2000 and he has been cited seven times since May 1998 for infractions ranging from no proof of insurance or car registration to speeding and driving a big rig with too much weight, according to Department of Motor Vehicle records. He also has been cited for failure to appear in court for a traffic violation and for failure to wear a seat belt and running a freeway meter light.

In December 1998, Saiz was cited for having bad brakes, the DMV reported.

Peter McNabb, general manager of the Brea company where Saiz works, Peterson Brothers Construction, said he was unaware of Saiz’s expired license. If the company had known, McNabb said, “he wouldn’t be driving for us.”

The company receives regular DMV updates about its drivers, he said. And its drivers must have better driving records than the DMV requires to stay employed. He planned to have staff members review Saiz’s record to determine why they did not know about the expired license.

The company requires its drivers to inspect the vehicles they are about to drive each day. The drivers perform a simple brake test by rolling the truck and trying the brakes. The company performs preventive maintenance on the brakes regularly, depending on mileage and time elapsed. The inspection reports for the truck involved in the accident and other maintenance records were turned over to police Thursday, McNabb said.

The intersection has been the site of two accidents in recent months involving commercial trucks. Several more occurred nearby, Police Sgt. Rick Martinez said.

Because of that, police have cracked down on truckers, conducting several inspection points in the area. As recently as Monday, a team of seven officers cited 14 truck drivers and ordered two trucks off the road for problems including bad brakes and heavy loads.

Signs are posted on the street warning truckers of the steep grade. Permits are required for trucks weighing more than three tons, said Anaheim’s principal traffic engineer, Alfred Yalda. Saiz was traveling at 35 mph, below the posted speed limit of 40 mph.

It was unclear late Thursday which agency issues the permits, but McNabb and Anaheim police said it appeared Saiz was where he was supposed to be. McNabb said his company has a general permit to carry loads, but it was unclear whether other permits were required.

Saiz’s truck rumbled down the 12% grade, clipped a car and collided with the sport utility vehicle driven by Larkin. The optometrist’s car rolled 150 feet down the road and slammed into three other cars.

The big rig jumped the median and headed in the wrong direction before it overturned and slammed into a row of cars at a red light.

Saiz was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, where he was in critical condition with internal injuries and two broken legs, hospital spokeswoman Kim Pine said. Five others were treated for minor injuries at area hospitals.

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Fatal Collision

One person was killed and six were injured when a big rig lost its brakes while going down a steep hill Thursday morning. Police say 12 vehicles were involved in the 7:28 a.m. accident in Anaheim Hills.

Source: Caltrans, Anaheim Police Department

Graphics reporting by MAI TRAN / Los Angeles Times