Surveillance video captured the death of a U-Haul lot attendant as he was run over by a truck in the Miramar area of San Diego.
The engine of the U-Haul truck was still running in the lot outside the rental company at 9650 Camino Ruiz just before 7 a.m. Tuesday when San Diego police arrived.
"This is a tragic accident," said San Diego Police Department (SDPD) Lt. Kevin Mayer.
The lot attendant got inside one of the trucks and moved it a short distance in the parking lot. He then opened the door of the vehicle and got out, leaving the the door open.
"As the vehicle was in reverse, the male decided to get out, the door knocked him down and the vehicle ran him over and killed him," Mayer said.
Alexis Amora, a man who works for a moving company, said he was the first person to find the victim on the ground. He said he tried to help the man and was devastated over his death.
“A hardworking man,” said Amora. “Tough to see somebody who I’ve been working around for so long, and here he is. What can I say? It’s not a good thing.”
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Mayer said surveillance video from the rental company confirmed the events, although it's not clear what prompted the employee to get out as the vehicle was moving.
The San Diego Medical Examiner's office has now identified the U-Haul employee as 80-year-old San Diego resident Alfred White.
White’s loved ones spoke with NBC 7 Thursday night and said White was a husband, father, and dedicated much of his time as a volunteer, teaching kids of all ages how to bowl.
His family said that for the past 20 years, White spent his Saturdays a Mira Mesa Lanes sharing with kids his passion for bowling. Along the way, kids learned the sport and life lessons from their mentor.
“Still to this day, he was helping us every Saturday with the scholarship programs and anything he could do to help us in life,” said one of White’s bowling students, Victoria Supnet.
Supnet is a waitress at the bowling alley but for the last 10 years, she had been under White’s tutelage – and cherished White’s friendship.
“The more you got to know him, the more he meant to you,” she told NBC 7.
White’s loved ones were in shock over the freak accident that took his life.
“Many of us didn’t believe it at first. We were so astonished by what just happened,” said Victoria.
Though White’s death is still under investigation, his life was that of purpose.
He was an avid, lifetime bowler who loved the sport and was able to use it to enrich the lives of many.
“He gave them his time, his attention, his love, his encouragement,” said Mira Mesa Lanes general manager Christy Balla.
She said White liked to be called “Coach” at the lanes. Balla said White lit up a room with his presence and encouragement, and will forever be remembered for his kindness.
“He’s not the kind of guy that would give you the shirt off his back; he would take you home, feed you, then give you everything he had in his closet,” she said.
At the bowling alley, all proceeds from a nightly raffle will be donated to the alley’s youth bowling program this week in honor of White – a program that he strongly supported. Those funds will help pay for college and professional training for his beloved students.
