On the morning of January 8, 2024, a devastating accident on the 118 Freeway in Chatsworth, California, claimed the life of 23-year-old Manny Camacho.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported that the incident occurred shortly before 8:45 a.m. near Topanga Canyon Boulevard.
Camacho was fatally injured when the box truck he was driving collided with a vehicle in front of him, a flatbed truck transporting lumber. The collision caused a piece of lumber from the flatbed to pierce the windshield of his box truck, inflicting fatal injuries. Camacho, the sole occupant of the box truck, was pronounced dead of blunt-force trauma at the scene.
An investigation by the CHP indicated that the incident involved multiple vehicles, including an SUV that subsequently crashed into the rear of his truck.
The driver of the lumber truck sustained moderate injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. There were no major injuries reported in the SUV.
Preliminary findings by the CHP suggest that the speed of the box truck Camacho was driving may have contributed to the accident.
Officers from the CHP’s commercial division are also looking into whether the lumber truck was in compliance with safety regulations, especially those pertaining to the marking of items extending from the back of a vehicle.
A GoFundMe campaign, established to support Camacho’s family, has raised over $16,000. His mother posted on the page that she’s devastated at his loss but is at peace because he is “in the arms of our Father.”
Camacho was a recent graduate from Azusa Pacific University. In high school, he was a league champion in football, wrestling, and track and an outstanding student, earning a GPA higher than 4.0.