A ban preventing big rig trucks from driving on Angeles Crest Highway took effect today.
The 90-day ban, which went into effect at midnight, covers the portion of Angeles Crest Highway between Angeles Forest Highway and the 210 Freeway in La Canada-Flintridge, a city in the Los Angeles area. Under the ban, trucks with five axles or more are prohibited from driving on the highway, also referred to as Route 2.
The ban went into effect less than one week after a runaway truck slammed into several vehicles, crashed into a book store, and killed a man and his 12-year-old daughter. The truck driver, Marcos Costa of Massachusetts, allegedly ignored warning signs by traveling on Angeles Forest Highway, which already bans semi-tractor trailers. The brakes on the truck went out, causing Costa to lose control of the vehicle.
This is the second truck accident within a year's period in the same area. In September 2008, a runaway truck plowed through a parking lot on the same block, injuring one person.
Officials are trying to make the ban permanent, but for now say it's only temporary.
Costa, who only suffered minor injuries, was arrested and charged with two felony counts of vehicular manslaughter.
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