A tragic incident, a 14-year-old youth perished when attempting to jump on a gravel truck in a KB Home community. When the media came calling, I provided the following statement, which contained these key elements for communicating in a crisis situation: empathy, cooperation with authorities and minimization of statement.

1. Boy dies when run over by truck // PERRIS: The 12-
year-old had leaped onto the semi but fell off when it
made a turn.
December 14, 2005
By NATHAN MAX THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
PERRIS
A 12-year-old boy who jumped on a dirt-hauling semi-truck died Tuesday when he
fell off the rig and was run over, authorities said.
The boy, whose name was not released, tried to ride the truck between the first and
second trailers and was killed when he fell as the truck made a right turn, said
Riverside County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Earl Quinata. Police are searching for the
driver, who did not stop after running the boy over.
"It is believed that the driver of the semi was unaware of the juvenile falling off,"
Quinata said.
The accident occurred near a construction site for new homes in northern Perris.
The boy was a seventh-grade student at Lakeside Middle School in Perris, and he
was walking home from school with four classmates, Val Verde Unified School District
spokesman Michael Bazan said. The school is about a mile from the accident scene.
Bazan said Tuesday night that grief counselors would be sent to Lakeside this
morning.
Connie Gomez, a 34-year-old mother of one of the victim's friends, said the truck
stopped at the intersection of Evans Road and Whimbrel Way, where her son asked
the driver for the time. The victim then jumped onto the truck and rode for a block
as it traveled south on Evans.
At Sparrow Way, the truck turned right, the boy fell and the truck ran him over,
Quinata said. Gomez said her son and his classmates flagged down a motorist for
help, then he ran home crying.
The accident occurred a few steps from a KB Home construction site, but Quinata
said it is unknown which company the truck came from. There are several housing
projects in the area, and the companies involved use a variety of subcontractors,
Quinata said.
PDF Created with deskPDF PDF Writer - Trial :: http://www.docudesk.com

2. "This is a tragic accident and KB Home extends its deepest sympathy to the family
for their loss," said KB Home spokesman Max Sucee. "Our thoughts and prayers go
out to the family and friends at this very sad and difficult time. We will, of course,
provide any information we can to assist with the investigation into the cause of this
accident."
Zone: MORENO VALLEY; DESERT; RIVERSIDE
Edition:
Section: LOCAL
Page#: B01
PDF Created with deskPDF PDF Writer - Trial :: http://www.docudesk.com