Funeral services for a Caltrans electrician killed earlier this month when he was struck by a big rig on the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway in the Acton area will be held today in Sylmar.
Services for 57-year-old Jorge Lopez begin at 11 a.m. and motorists are advised to expect 15- to 30-minute delays on local streets for the procession of Caltrans vehicles, said Karina Vargas of Caltrans. Vargas said motorists may experience delays beginning at 9:30 a.m. on the following streets: Polk Street, Glenoaks Boulevard and San Fernando and Laurel Canyon roads.
Lopez, a 16-year employee of Caltrans and resident of Sylmar, was killed the morning of Sept. 1 on the Antelope Freeway at Red Rover Mine Road. He was standing behind his vehicle on the side of the road when a big rig veered into him.
The truck driver stopped at the scene and was questioned by California Highway Patrol investigators. Gov. Jerry Brown said he and his wife, Anne, said they "were saddened to learn of the death of Jorge Lopez, who worked each day to make our California roads safer. We extend out deepest sympathies to his family, friends and many colleagues who are mourning this tragedy."
Lopez is survived by his wife, Leticia and three adult children, according to Caltrans. He was the first employee of Caltrans District 7, which includes Los Angeles and Ventura counties, to be killed while at work since 2005 and the 185th Caltrans employee to be killed while on the job.
Following the accident, District 7 called a "safety stand-down to emphasize safety procedures." Routine and regularly scheduled highway maintenance will be temporarily halted "to revisit and reinforce all aspects of field safety," according to Caltrans.
