California Crash: Fatality, What we know so far
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| California Crash: Fatality, What we know so far. Photo: KHOU |
A collision between a big rig and an SUV carrying more than two dozen people near the U.S.-Mexico border Tuesday morning killed at least 13 and injured several others, authorities said.
California Crash: When & Where
A collision between a big rig and an SUV carrying more than two dozen people near the U.S.-Mexico border Tuesday morning killed at least 13 and injured several others, authorities said.
About 6 a.m., the 2011 Peterbilt tractor-trailer was traveling north on Route 115 near El Centro when, for reasons that remained unclear, a Ford Expedition entered an intersection directly in front of the truck, according to a California Highway Patrol report. The truck plowed into the left side of the SUV.
The burgundy 1997 Ford, designed to hold no more than eight people, was carrying 25, said Arturo Platero, a spokesman for the CHP’s El Centro office. All but the driver’s and front passenger’s seats had been removed from the SUV, Latimes reported.
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| Photo: Theguardian |
California Crash: Fatality
| Twelve people died at the scene, including the Expedition’s driver, whom the authorities identified only as a 28-year-old resident of Mexicali, Mexico. A 13th person died after being transferred to El Centro Regional Medical Center, Platero said. The truck driver, a 68-year-old resident of El Centro, suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital in Palm Springs, according to the CHP report. |
An almost equal number of men and women were killed in the crash, said Omar Watson, chief of the CHP’s Border Division. El Centro Regional Medical Center authorities reported earlier Tuesday that the SUV was carrying 28 people and 14 died at the scene, but CHP officials revised those numbers.
The SUV’s occupants, who ranged in age from 15 to 53, were all either injured or killed, Watson said. Authorities were still working Tuesday afternoon to identify all of the deceased victims and notify their families, he said. At least 10 of the dead were Mexican nationals, according to Roberto Velasco Álvarez, who heads the North America Department for the Mexican Foreign Ministry.
Four people were airlifted by helicopter to the Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. Two others hurt in the crash were in intensive care, including one in critical condition, said Todd Burke, a spokesman for the hospital.
Three people were transported to Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District in Brawley, about 20 miles away. One was treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, according to Karina Lopez, a hospital spokeswoman. The other two — a woman and teenage boy — were then airlifted to Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego. Six others are being treated at El Centro Regional, Platero said.
California Crash: Investigations
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| Photo: ABCNews |
The investigation will look into why so many people were crammed into the 1997 Ford Expedition, a vehicle built to hold only about eight people safely.
"Obviously, that vehicle is not meant for that many people," Watson said. "It's unfortunate that many people were put into that vehicle because there are not enough safety constraints to safely keep those people in that vehicle."
The speed limit for tractor-trailers on the highway is 55 mph, according to CHP Officer Jake Sanchez. The other road is also 55 mph for vehicles.
A 1997 Ford Expedition can carry a maximum payload of 2,000 pounds. If it had 25 people inside, that would exceed the payload limit - which would tax the brakes and make it tougher to steer, said Frank Borris, former head of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Defects Investigation.
"You're going to have extended stopping distances, delayed reactions to steering inputs and potential over-reaction to any type of high-speed lane change," said Borris, who now runs a safety consulting business.
SUVs of that age tended to be top-heavy even without carrying a lot of weight, Borris said. "With all of that payload above the vehicle's center of gravity, it's going to make it even more unstable," he said.
Officials were still working on identifying the dead and said they did not know if the SUV was carrying farm workers or migrants crossing into the country illegally, Abc7chicago noted.
California Crash: Authority's Statements
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed in a statement that agents are conducting a human smuggling investigation and were on the scene of the fatal crash Tuesday.
“Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations San Diego responded to the scene of today’s fatal crash in El Centro, California, and have initiated a human smuggling investigation," ICE said in a statement. "The investigation is ongoing and no further details are available at this time."
The crash was near Holtville in Imperial County, which is about 125 miles east of San Diego and about 10 miles from the Mexico border.
Imperial County Fire said 25 additional personnel were sent to the scene, including four to five additional ambulances and four air helicopters, Abcnews said.
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