"Unfortunate accident": Woman killed while sleeping in boxes driven over big rig making U-turn in Echo Park lot

A woman was killed early Tuesday in what appears to be a tragic accident in the parking lot of a Vons in Echo Park.

Police say the woman had been sleeping in a pile of boxes in a parking lot at Alvarado Boulevard and Montana Avenue when a big rig drove into the lot to make a U-turn at about 1 a.m. The big rig drove over the boxes, and the woman sleeping inside, dragging her about 50 feet.

The woman, who is believed to have been in her 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene. It's unclear if she has been identified.

The big rig driver did not realize the woman was sleeping in the boxes, and only discovered what happened after people at a nearby taco truck told him he had hit something. Police say the driver was shaken up by what happened, and had tried to help the woman.

"My perception is that the truck driver was in a state of shock," LAPD Detective Juan Campos said. "He didn't wake up to kill anyone. It's an unfortunate accident."

The driver, whose name was not released, cooperated with investigators and has been questioned. Police say no drugs or alcohol appear to be involved in the crash, so it is not being investigated as a criminal case.