Discovery cab driver Abebe Ainekulu was so beloved, family members had to open the church where he was a deacon to accommodate all those who wanted to share their condolences. NBC 7’s Dave Summers reports.
A cab driver is dead after he collided with the back of an San Diego Gas & Electric truck in the Webster area Thursday, according to police.
The 53-year-old driver of a Discovery Cab van, identified by family as Abebe Ainekulu, was traveling fast southbound on Fairmount Avenue as he approached the intersection with Home Avenue at 2:55 p.m.
Ainekulu made a sudden swerve into the right turn lane and slammed hard into the back of the SDG&E utility truck, according to Mark White, who rushed in with others to help the driver.
"I held his hand, he was bleeding, and we immediately called for 911. We're telling everyone, 'Hey this is no laughing matter, he's about to die," said White.
He said the steering wheel pinned Ainekulu by his stomach inside the vehicle. He died shortly after suffering the massive trauma and a heart attack while undergoing treatment, emergency responders say.
Those riding in the utility truck were not hurt, according to SDG&E.
Local
A Sig Alert was issued for the area four about four hours.
About an hour after the crash, friends and family began arriving at the emotional scene to learn what happened to their loved one. They told NBC 7 Ainekulu was a husband and father of a daughter and son.
So many people wanted to share their condolences and grief that family members opened up Saint Gabriel Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Logan Heights, where Ainekulu was a deacon.
Inside, some 200 people begin three days of mourning.
"He's a friend for everybody. He gives service for church for long time," said longtime friend Tesfai Takele.
Ainekulu has worked at a independent driver who owned his own cab for about 7 years, according to Ferede Gebru, who says he's known Ainekulu for 23 years.
He believes the victim was on his way to work from his home, which was about three blocks away.
"I was not expecting this. Abebe, he's a sweet guy. He's disciplined, how he drive, everything. I know, I know for sure," Gebru.
SDG&E sent out the following statement about the fatal collision:
"While we are thankful that our crewmembers were not injured, we are saddened to learn that the cab driver has passed away. Our condolences go out to those involved in this tragic incident and to their families."
Calls to Discovery Cab have not been returned.
One week ago, another SDG&E truck was in a crash on State Route 76. The driver and another motorist were hospitalized by that incident.
This is the second time an SDG&E truck was involved in a fatal crash this year.
Last month, former SDG&E employee Hector Hoyt pleaded guilty to one count of felony hit and run causing death, stemming from a deadly incident on Jan. 6. The defendant hit and killed Robert Fisher, 54, while driving his company truck off duty in El Cajon and then took off from the scene.
Check back here for details on this breaking news story.
