Last Updated on January 10, 2023 by CCAR Staff
SAN DIMAS >> A man died in a crash on a 57 Freeway offramp in San Dimas Sunday afternoon after his Smart Car struck a tire, then careened into the center divider, authorities said.
The crash was reported about 3:50 p.m. on the Covina Boulevard offramp of the southbound 57 Freeway, California Highway Patrol Officer Alex Rubio said.
According to CHP logs, another vehicle lost a tire, which a Smart Car collided with.
After striking the tire, the Smart Car struck the center divider and overturned, according to CHP logs and Los Angeles County Fire Department officials.
Firefighters found the sole occupant of the Smart Car trapped inside the vehicle, fire department Dispatch Supervisor Melanie Flores said.
The driver, 22-year-old Ryan Mendenhall of Mira Loma, was pronounced dead at the scene, coroner’s Lt. Larry Dietz said. No other injuries were reported.
CHP officials issued a Sig Alert on the offramp for about an hour following the crash, and briefly shut down all southbound lanes to look for the stray tire and take aerial photographs of the crash scene, logs show.
Officers from the CHP’s Baldwin Park area office are handling the investigation.
City News Service contributed to this report.
