(L.A.) Elias Perez Santiago, 57, Died in an Accident

Case Number: 2023-05836

Los Angeles County is reporting the death of a 57-year-old Hispanic male that occurred on a road.

The coroner’s office identified the man as Elias Perez Santiago of Pico Rivera.

Manner of Death: Accident

Cause of Death: Blunt-Force Traumatic Injuries

RIP ELIAS PEREZ SANTIAGO (April 17, 1966 – May 20, 2023)

Formal pronouncement of death was made on Saturday at 9:20 p.m.

The decedent was a motorist who was fatally injured after his vehicle overturned into a ravine in the Angeles National Forest.

LASD said the incident happened on East Fork Road near Shoemaker Canyon Road, north of Azusa proper.

Mountain roads in the Angeles National Forest are notably dangerous, particularly when compared to urban roads, due to their narrow, winding paths, steep drop-offs, and unpredictable conditions. The Forest Service specifically warns that “forest roads can be narrow and winding” and notes that more people die in single-car accidents in the forest than by any other means. Cell phone coverage is also limited, making emergency response more difficult.

While L.A. freeways are notorious for high-speed collisions and have some of the deadliest stretches of road in California, the types of dangers differ. Freeways see more multi-vehicle crashes at high speeds, while mountain roads in the forest are prone to single-vehicle accidents, often involving vehicles going off the road and into ravines or down steep slopes.

The Angeles National Forest averages around 90 search-and-rescue calls per month, and vehicle accidents –especially on winding mountain roads — are a significant contributor to these incidents.