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Pacifica man hits Caltrans truck, dies
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SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - An early-morning crash Thursday instantly killed a Pacifica man after his pickup slammed into the back of a Caltrans truck.
California Highway Patrol Officer Shawn Chase said the accident happened at 3:10 a.m. on the connector ramp from northbound Highway 280 to U.S. Highway 101 in San Francisco.
Relatives of Julius Cabral, 39, said he often drove to his early shift as a supervisor at UPS in San Francisco.
“He’s been working there for so long — that’s why it was so shocking for us to hear of the accident,” Cabral’s brother-in-law Alex Calvo said. “He’s usually a very alert driver.”
Cabral’s Toyota Tacoma pickup was traveling 50 to 60 mph, according to Chase.
“Apparently he didn’t see the flashing lights,” Chase said. “There were no skid marks so he didn’t slow down almost at all until the last minute.”
The Pacifica resident, who had four young children, was a deacon of Harbor of Grace Reformed Church in South San Francisco.
“He’s a good family man,” Calvo said. “He has been a Christian for a very long time.”
CHP said the paint truck, which was traveling slowly down the ramp, sustained minor damage from the accident and its driver was taken to the San Francisco General Hospital with minor injuries.
The truck, subcontracted by Caltrans, was not preceded by orange cones or warning signs, Caltrans spokesman Bob Haus said.
“For striping, it’s common to do a rolling closure, so you’re in motion with equipment instead of completely blocking off that stretch of highway,” he said.
But Cabral’s family said he may have not seen the truck until it was too late.
“I’m furious that the truck didn’t have any cones,” Cabral’s brother-in-law said.
The accident closed the connector ramp until 6:15 a.m., according to CHP.
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Examiner Reader said:
I was stuck in traffic because of this accident for two hours yesterday. My friends and I were on our way to Magic Mountain, unfortunately we saw everything, and had to turn around, this accident seriously affected us. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, we are truly sorry for your loss, life is so short and so precious. May God give you all an unexplainable ammount of peace!
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Teresa Walker said:
The two young people who lost their lives in this tragedy are the younger siblings of my beloved daughter-in-law. Two very amazing and outstanding young adults with tremendous promise. Please keep the family who has lost two of their three children so suddenly in your thoughts and prayers. A big sister lost all her siblings, my grandchildren an aunt and uncle, and my son lost 2 of his best friends. Thank you in advance for your kindness. Lindsey and Alan, Rest in Blessed Peace. You are Loved and will be greatly missed.
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Francine said:
Julius and his family are patients at the dental office I work at. We were shocked and deeply saddened to hear what happened. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ester and the kids, as well as the rest of Julius' family. We are so, so sorry for your loss.
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Sara said:
The victims were my aunt and uncle. let's hope they RIP. This is absolutely horrific for my family and we could all use some positive thoughts right now. No one is sure what really happened yet- all we know is that my uncle was driving his son-in-law's SUV, not his own, at the time of the accident. Everything else is just speculation right now, so please don't spread anything fictitious.
0 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This man was the property manager for my rental home. It is a very sad thing that such a nice man had to die like this, with his wife watching. He will be missed.
16 agree | 14 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
has any one heard the rumor that a vehicle may have cut them off?
22 agree | 22 disagree
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