Highway 1 victim identified

SOQUEL — The man killed Wednesday when he was struck by a truck on Highway 1 has been identified as Soquel resident Arthur Muniz, 63.

Witnesses said that Muniz jumped in front of the truck approximately 7:55 a.m. on northbound Highway 1 between the Park Avenue and the Bay/Porter Avenue exits, and that after he was struck drivers were swerving around his body.

The collision snarled traffic on Highway 1, creating a backup that snaked past the Mar Monte exit and wasn’t cleared up until after 11 a.m.

Police are releasing little information about Muniz, citing privacy for his family. A call placed to an “A Muniz” reached a disconnected number, and a Facebook message sent to a possible family member was not returned.

The driver of the truck that struck Muniz is not believed to be at fault and is not facing criminal charges, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Deputy April Skalland said.

“It’s sad that a lot of people had to witness something so horrific,” she said.

The truck is based in Watsonville and belongs to Crop Production Services, a Loveland, Co.-based company. The driver was delivering a load of fertilizer, according to company spokesperson Paul Poister.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim involved in the accident and with everyone else involved in the accident,” Poister said. “It was obviously a horrible tragedy for the driver to be a part of and we’re helping them get through it as best as we can.”



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