OSAKA -- A 3-ton billboard fell on top of a car that had stopped at traffic lights August 26 in Yao, Osaka Prefecture, crushing the car and killing the driver.
A crane truck was in the process of removing the 16-meter sign board at a prefectural highway intersection when the truck tilted, the support ropes snapped and the pole toppled over. Police identified the driver as Koichi Shiba, 46, from Higashi Osaka.
No other vehicle was nearby at the time of the accident. Police cordoned off an area about 500 meters around the site following the accident, causing a 1-km traffic jam.
Police are questioning the 23-year-old truck driver for possible professional negligence. The billboard was being used to advertise a used car dealer, which recently ordered the sign to be removed.