Road cleaning workers died in truck accident along 71

A box truck struck a guardrail near Chino Hills and struck workers cleaning up along the 71 Freeway. Two people were killed, another was injured and there was a gridlock for commuters on Monday morning.

In the northbound lanes of the 71 Freeway, a cleanup crew of about seven workers hired by Caltrans worked behind the right shoulder guardrail, just past Euclid Avenue. A few meters behind them on the right shoulder was their van with an attached trailer, both with flashing hazard lights.

Except for the van driver, William Hope, 59, of Beaumont, all crew members were standing in front of the white Ford Transit.

At about 8:37 a.m., a Peterbilt box truck struck the parked van, causing the truck to lose control, said Rodrigo Jimenez, public information officer for the California Highway Patrol.

ABC7’s on-scene video shows that the work van featured a logo for Chrysalis, a nonprofit organization that provides job readiness programs to help low-income and unhoused people find work. Jimenez confirmed that the crew members were from Chrysalis.

The truck left the road and crashed through the guardrail where the crew was working.

As the truck pulled onto the side of the road, it struck two of the workers, both San Bernardino County residents, and initially killed one – a 54-year-old man who suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Chino Valley Fire Department.

The second crew member struck, a 36-year-old man, was transported to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center with serious injuries and later succumbed to them, Jimenez said. The names of the two men were not released as of early Monday evening.

Hope, the driver of the Ford Transit, was also taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Officers are still investigating why the truck ran over the side of the parked van.

The truck driver, Ruben Gallegos, 34, of Pomona, underwent a sobriety test that ruled out any impairment, including alcohol or drugs, Jimenez said.

“We are still trying to determine why the driver lost control, but there are no criminal charges pending at this time,” he said.

Jimenez warned that under California’s move-over law, drivers should move across a lane if they see workers or emergency responders stopped on the side of the road to give them “a buffer.”

If traffic prevents drivers from proceeding, Jimenez said motorists should slow down when overtaking and be vigilant on the roadway.

The two northbound lanes on Highway 71 were closed Monday morning and into the afternoon and the only lane open was the carpool lane. “The closer we get to commute times, the more traffic will be affected,” Jimenez said.