Hit-and-run driver kills man trying to emerge from manhole in Panorama City, LAPD says

KTLA ^ | Cindy Von Quednow

[BenLurkin]

The incident occurred along Parthenia Street about 10:25 a.m. Saturday as the person underneath tried to get out...

The driver of the truck continued west and did not stop, video released by police showed.

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene and the victim, described only as a man in his 20s, died from his injuries...

Authorities did not elaborate on what the man was doing under the manhole cover...

“The public is reminded that manholes are used for city services to access various maintenance tunnels that are located underground,” police said in the news release. “Manhole covers should not be disturbed or moved due to their weight and could cause serious injury or death.”

[BookmanTheJanitor]

Video appears to be handheld such as a cell phone. Why were they recording?

Yeah, was someone trying to make an obnoxious youtube/Tik Tok video?

[faithhopecharity]

great headline.
the mole was obviously at fault for trying to surface?

[frogjerk]

Dumb way to die #237

[dfwgator]

"Dumb ways to die....so many dumb ways to die...."

[ElkGroveDan]

Good point.

[Deplorable American1776]

Was the person in the PERSONHOLE working? If someone popped up from one, I doubt you would feel it if you drive over it.

That said, prayers to the victim and the driver who wouldn't feel the cover being moved.

[IYAS9YAS]

Looks like it lifted the back of the truck. Had that been me, I'd have at least pulled over to see if there was any damage to the truck. And my assumption would be that it was just off-center. Whenever someone is working in the hole, they're supposed to be blocked off and quite obvious that there are people working there. This guy shouldn't be charged with anything. The city should be charged for failure to keep vagrants out of the sewers (or whatever that was), because an open/offset cover can cause some real damage at speed.

When I was a teen, a woman got her car stuck up on a manhole cover when she drove over it. It was slightly off just like this one was. The weight of the tire roles it up and into her suspension. She didn't even know what happened. Just stopped. She was very lucky. She was in the alley behind a local tire shop. They had her off the cover, checked her suspension and sent her on her way in less than five minutes.

[ETCM]

The driver did not kill anyone. The underground idiot caused his own death. If someone jumps from a freeway overpass and lands 5 feet in front of your car that is traveling at 65 mph, you did not kill them. Even less so in this case, as the driver never even saw a person.

“A reward of up to $50,000 is available to anyone who provides information leading to the driver’s identification, apprehension and conviction."

Apprehension and conviction for WHAT?

[Darksheare]

Molemen again?

[ApplegateRanch]

He was sacrificed to Saint Rachel Of The Pancakes.

Like her, out of sight, out of life.

[PLMerite]

“Vagrant CHUD hit and run”

I remember that movie.

[Seruzawa]

A perfect example of how the press worsens stories. The claim that it was a hit-and-run is a lie. The driver probably didn’t even notice the bump. but leave it to a reporter to falsely report a story.

[libh8er]

Maybe it was a game of whack-a-mole and he popped up somewhere else.

[TexasGator]

“Video appears to be handheld such as a cell phone.”

Nope. More like an elevated security camera.

[BenLurkin]

See post #15

[Bullish]

Well, he didn’t see that coming.

[logi_cal869]

Wait, what?

The woke crowd hasn’t hit upon manhole covers yet?

I’m shocked, I tell ya. /s

[libertylover]

All I see is a truck running over a partially open manhole cover. The driver probably never realized there was a person underneath. Legitimate work would be marked very well.

[Real Cynic No More]

What I haven't seen discussed is the absolute requirement that anyone working on a public street be protected by traffic control devices. In this case, if the victim was occupying the lane, the lane was required to be closed with the appropriate devices to prevent just this type of incident from happening. Iow, the driver is not at fault, because there was no advance warning.

[null and void]

not normal for someone to be coming out from closed manhole. Underground homeless camp?

Non-uniformed enemy combatant reconnoitering for a sabotage target?