The Los Angeles County fire captain who was killed in a crash on the 14 freeway between his Jeep and a Caltrans sweeper vehicle was mourned by his family and other firefighters Thursday.
Captain Michael Shepard had been an L.A. County firefighter since 2006, the department said in a written statement.
The 63-year-old is survived by his wife, four sons, two daughters, and seven grandchildren.
In the statement, Shepard’s wife, Cathy, described him as “a dedicated husband, father and fire captain.”
“He was the source of love, comfort, protection and joy to the entire family,” she said. “It is with grieving hearts that we have lost him, but we are forever grateful for each minute we spent with him.”
Shepard last worked at Fire Station 132 in Santa Clarita, about eight miles from the crash site. LACFD officials said he lived in Agua Dulce.
A firefighter there referred questions to a public information officer, who did not return a request for comment.
Shepard was pronounced dead at the scene Wednesday, California Highway Patrol officials said. The crash occurred on the northbound side of the freeway, just south of San Canyon Road, at 11:15 a.m.
CHP said in a statement that the Jeep and a Caltrans GMC 3500 with a dump truck bed crashed in the center median. The vehicle was one of several Caltrans vehicles and a CHP unit that were slowly driving in the median as part of a sweeper detail.
Officer Josh Greengard, a CHP spokesman, said it will take “a few weeks” for the invesigation to be completed.
Detectives have not said how fast they believed any of the vehicles involved were going when the crash happened.
Greengard said typically the caravan of vehicles in a Caltrans sweeping detail on the freeway moves between zero and 10 miles per hour. They at move regular freeway speeds on the way to their assignment.
Eric Menjivar, a Caltrans spokesman, said the details usually have about five vehicles, depending on their availability. The lead vehicle, which picks up large pieces of debris from crashes, is followed by the sweeper, which clears dirt and smaller debris. Following behind are two vehicles with crash guards to protect the sweeper, with a CHP unit following at the end.
It’s not clear which vehicle was involved in the crash with Shepard’s Jeep.
