Inadvertent off-roader vanishes from crash scene

A La Mesa motorist expressed surprise on Wednesday (January 18) when he saw a burgundy-colored truck on the side of a hill on the south side of Parkway Drive. The truck had crashed through a fence at approximately 4 p.m. in front of Mesa Village Apartments, located on 7546 Parkway Drive.

La Mesa police came within ten minutes. By 4:30 p.m., they had blocked off the segment of Parkway Drive from Wellesley Street to the Guessman Avenue intersection, making it accessible only to area residents.

One bystander said he was afraid that the truck would roll down the hill and end up on Interstate 8. It looked as if it might. Six tow-truck operators worked in the dark until the truck was pulled back onto the road at 6:30.

Police sought witnesses of the accident but found none. The gathered looky-loos speculated that the truck's driver must have been drunk to have left the scene. Police confirmed that the driver had left the scene and they were going to try and find him.

On January 19, Elizabeth, a La Mesa police dispatcher, said the driver of the truck had still not been found.