Man Crushed when Truck Rolls

The man killed when he was thrown out of the bed of a pickup truck, as it rolled off a trail in a dark-hours off-roading crash, was identified publicly by the coroner today.

Five people were involved in a 3:30 a.m. adventure Saturday. “Apparently, they just decided to go on the dirt trails at 3 o’clock in the morning,” said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Larry Kurtz.

Omar Muniz-Velazquez, 24, of San Juan Capistrano, was crushed to death on a hillside in Trabuco Canyon, in the Cleveland National Forest.

Muniz-Velazquez was riding in the bed of a Toyota Tundra pickup truck at the time of the crash, according to the coroner’s office.

There were four other people inside the pickup as it was driven off-road and downhill, then rolled over. Muniz-Velazquez was ejected and crushed by the vehicle, Kurtz said.

There were no other reported injuries, Kurtz said.

The death was reported at 3:20 a.m. Saturday near Trabuco Canyon and Holy Jim Canyon roads, according to CHP reports.

City News Service