A trucker was run over by a tow truck driver in a fatal example of poor communication early on Friday morning, June 9th.
It happened on the 60 Freeway in Montebello, California, westbound near Findlay Avenue.
According to CBS Los Angeles, a heavy-duty tow truck was hauling Stephen Lamb’s Peterbilt tractor trailer, when one of the rig’s tires locked up, forcing the wrecker driver to pull over on the highway shoulder.
After pulling over, Lamb and tow truck operator exited the cab of the tow truck to inspect the tractor trailer. The tow truck operator then returned to his vehicle to move the trucks forward.
California Highway Patrol says that Lamb then “for unknown reasons… crawled under the rear axle of the vehicle in tow,” without communicating with the tow truck driver.
The tow truck and tractor trailer moved forward, causing Lamb to be “struck by the rear wheels of the vehicle in tow,” continued police.
Lamb, a 70-year-old Riverside County resident, was declared dead at the scene. The tow truck driver was not injured in the incident.
The tractor trailer was hauling a loaded nitrogen tank.
Investigators do not believe that drugs or alcohol were involved.