Investigators have released the name of the man killed in a violent head-on collision in Glendora Wednesday.
Anthony Avila, III, a 19-year-old San Dimas resident, died after his 1990s silver Acura Integra reportedly drifted head-on into the path of a three-axle dump truck on Sunflower Avenue at Juanita Avenue.
A cause of death has not been determined and an autopsy has yet to be scheduled, said Kelli Blanchard, investigator with the Los Angeles County Office of Medical Examiner-Coroner.
The dump truck spilled its asphalt load during the crash. Photo by Aaron Castrejon.
The crash was first reported around 8:30 a.m. Avila was driving north on Sunflower Avenue. The blue three-axle dump truck was hauling asphalt south on Sunflower when for reasons unknown, Avila drifted into the path of the truck.
The truck overturned and partially landed in a resident’s yard south of Juanita; asphalt poured out of the truck bed and onto the road.
Avila’s car was nearly completely destroyed. Avila was trapped inside the wreck and was eventually determined dead at the scene by Los Angeles County Firefighters.
The driver of the dump truck was uninjured in the crash, but was shaken up. Police Chaplain Karen Davis was on scene talking with the distraught driver.
“A witness was following behind the truck at the time and said the car was driving northbound and for some unknown reason was on the wrong side of the street,” said Glendora Police Chief Tim Staab.
Initial evidence indicated the truck was not speeding. The driver of the truck had the green light at the time, Staab said.
A community service officer was busy going door to door in the neighborhood looking for eyewitnesses and was reviewing security camera footage from a nearby gas station that partially recorded the crash.
A bull dozer and dump truck arrived about two hours after the crash and worked quickly to clear the asphalt which would have hardened on the road.
Police issued a statement at 5:52 p.m. that the collision was cleared and that all lanes were open.
