Victim identified, witnesses needed

The man who died July 11 at the scene of a collision between the car he was driving and a tractor-trailer rig in the No. 4 lane of the 101 Freeway in Thousand Oaks just north of Westlake Boulevard has been identified as Kunhi Ahn.

According to Armando Chavez, senior deputy medical examiner, Woodland Hills resident Ahn, 69, died of blunt force injuries to his head and chest.

The accident occurred at about 11 a.m. when Ahn's silver Mercedes-Benz appeared in front of the tractor-trailer driven by Mark Sanders, 49, of South Gate.

When Sanders saw the car in front of him in the slow lane, he braked hard but was unable to stop before rear-ending the Mercedes- Benz.

"According to the man driving the rig, he was just slowing the rig for traffic ahead, and he didn't know if the vehicle that appeared in front of him came from the onramp or the No. 3 lane," said CHP special duty officer Brandon Mumme.

The man who died was alone in the car, which was crushed up against the guardrail and in very bad shape, Mumme said.

The cause for the traffic slowing down before the accident is unknown, Mumme said.

Law enforcement officers are hoping that witnesses can help explain what happened. They're asked to call (805) 5530800 sometime between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

- Nancy Needham