Tow truck driver killed in accident at Simi Valley landfill

A tow truck driver was killed in an industrial accident at the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center on Monday, authorities said.

The incident was reported around noon at the facility along the north side of Highway 118, according to Ventura County Fire Department reports.

Deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office responded around 12:15 p.m., said Capt. Carl Patterson. The landfill is an unincorporated area just outside city limits.

A semitrailer that had been hauling a load of gravel had the trailer tip over, Patterson said. The tow truck had been summoned to the landfill to get the trailer upright.

While the tow truck driver was trying to right the trailer, he went to the side opposite where he was pulling from, Patterson said.

Something gave way and the trailer fell back on top of him, crushing him to death, he said.

No details about the driver, including his age and city of residence, were immediately available.

It's the second fatality in less than a week involving a truck driver getting crushed by equipment. On Friday, a Los Angeles man who had parked his big rig in the lot at Pacific View mall in Ventura was crushed between the rig's two trailers, authorities said.

The landfill in Simi Valley is operated by WM, formerly Waste Management.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, responded to the scene, Patterson said.

This story may be updated.