Bookstore Crash That Killed 2, Injured 12, Could Have Been Avoided, Officials Say

A truck coming down from the San Bernardino Mountains on the Angeles Crest Highway last night during rush hour barreled down the road, missing a sharp turn onto a local street, crashing through an intersection striking several cars, killing a father and his daughter and injuring 12 others--three of which who are listed in critical condition--before slamming into a bookstore.

The driver, Marcos Costa, 43, was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and felony reckless driving by Los Angeles County Sheriff's last night. The fatal victims were listed as 12-year-old Angelina Posca and her 58-year-old father Angel Jorge Posca--both of Palmdale.

This isn't the first time this intersection has experienced such trauma. Last year September, a semi-truck crashed through a parking lot leaving seven vehicles destroyed and one person injured. After that, the city of La Canada Flintridge requested immediate action from Caltrans who operates the road. "We are outraged that our numerous demands to Caltrans to immediately address the significant safety issues of out of control trucks on Angeles Crest Highway were ignored,” said La Canada Flintridge Mayor Laura Olhasso in a statement released last night.

When the city brought the issue to the state department, seeking to ban trucks from using the route as a shortcut, Caltrans said they needed four to six weeks to study the issue. After that time period, Caltrans came back asking for another four to six weeks and after that in January, they said they needed another four weeks. The was the last the city said they heard from Caltrans regarding the issue.