A runaway truck hauling tons of gravel has flown off an embankment in California and crushed a home and killed a man, woman and child.
The truck's brakes failed as it careened along State Highway 154 in Santa Barbara and through an intersection then hit two parked cars before plunging down a driveway onto the house.
The truck was hauling two loaded trailers and displayed a sign indicating it could carry 26 tons of gravel, a fire official said.
The trucker may have been trying to avoid a nearby hotel when he went into the driveway, the official said.
Neighbour Elizabeth Negrete said had let her dog into the back yard when she heard the deafening sound of the crash.
"I thought it was an earthquake," she said.
The truck driver, Joaquin Garcia Morales, was treated for a minor facial cut after the vehicle landed on the 1,000-square-foot, wooden home that had been built more than 50 years ago.
It was one of two homes on the lot that were surrounded by mini-storage units. Both sat below the embankment and could not be seen from the roadway.
Another neighbour said he recently saw the family in good spirits preparing to celebrate Leo Leon's 24th birthday on Friday.
Santa Barbara is about 75 miles north of Los Angeles. The crash site is not known for accidents.
