On Monday afternoon, 45-year-old truck driver Mark Passaro lost his life after the truck he was driving plunged into the water at the Port of Los Angeles.
According to the Daily Breeze, the incident occurred at approximately 3 p.m. on Monday afternoon, at the Evergreen Container Terminal.
Passaro’s body was recovered in the cab of his truck, which came to rest approximately 50 feet below the surface.
First responders tried to rescue the man but were unable to retrieve him in time. “[He] sadly proved beyond help and has been declared dead,” Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.
At the time of the accident, Passaro’s truck was not carrying a container.
“They are not sure what caused it to go into the water,” port spokesman Phillip Sanfield told the Daily Breeze.
Humphrey told the Daily Blade that this is the first tragic accident in his four years in working at the port, though he added that the drivers routinely are required to maneuver though tight spaces.
“There’s no fencing,” Sanfield said. “These vehicles are allowed to run pretty close to the water’s edge.”
The incident is under investigation.
“It’s transitioning from a rescue to an investigation scene,” Sanfield said.