A 53-year-old homeless man was taken to a hospital in serious condition Friday after being struck by a Los Angeles County maintenance vehicle.

The Los Angeles Police Department said that the accident happened at 8:47 a.m, in the 400 block of Ocean Front Walk. The victim had been reclining on a blanket on the sand, when a grounds maintenance worker from the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors inadvertently ran over him while attempting to turn the vehicle. The driver had been with the department for more than 15 years.

According to the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors, the driver had been flagged down by someone on the beach about a maintenance need, just prior to his attempt to turn his vehicle around. In making the turn he unfortunately ran over the man who had been lying on the sand, covered in blankets.

The victim was taken to UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, alert but complaining of lower back pain.

The driver spoke with Los Angeles police following the accident and was later released. He was relieved of his normal duties the rest of the day Friday while the incident was under investigation, said Carol Baker, spokesperson for the Department of Beaches and Harbors.

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