No charges filed against dump truck driver in Anaheim crash that killed 1, injured 2 others

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Wednesday, August 25, 2021
No charges filed against dump truck driver in fatal Anaheim crash
The California Highway Patrol says DUI is not a factor in a dump truck crash that killed one person and injured two others in Anaheim, but the investigation is still in its early stages.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- The California Highway Patrol says DUI is not a factor in a crash that killed one person and injured two others in Anaheim, but the investigation is still in its early stages.

No charges have been filed against the driver of a dump truck that flew off the 57 Freeway and smashed into two apartment buildings Tuesday afternoon.

A number of residents at the apartment complex are now without a home. Zuheit Mino says her building is still without hot water almost 24 hours later.

"I heard the three hits - when it went through the first wall, the second wall and then when it fully hit the apartment," Mino said.

She grabbed her 1-year-old daughter and ran inside when she heard the commotion.

"I saw everyone running, screaming, crying, saying 'call 911'," she added.

One person was killed and two were injured when a dump truck flew off the 57 Freeway and smashed into an Anaheim apartment complex.

The truck driver, 54-year-old Raphael Pacheco, failed to stop at a red light, struck two cars, drove over two medians, through a dirt lot - then smashed into a carport and the two apartment buildings.

One driver that was struck was hospitalized with minor injuries, but an unsuspecting 61-year-old man inside his home was killed when the truck plowed through.

"My heart just (sank.) I felt very bad for the family and my condolences for the family," Mino said.

Multiple residents were displaced after the crash. Firefighters helped reunite them with dogs, rabbits and other pets that had been separated in the chaos.

Patricia Johnson said she and her dog had been homeless before moving into the building. The dump truck finally came to a stop inside of her bedroom.

"I was homeless before," Johnson said. "And this is the first place I've been to on my own. I wasn't homeless no more. And I had my dog. Me and the dog lived in the shelter."

"And now we're homeless again. But we're together."

Officials are still evaluating the damage, but several units are expected to be condemned as uninhabitable. The American Red Cross was providing assistance to displaced families.