Posted on 01/27/2006 11:21:54 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
FALFURRIAS — The Mexican consulate in McAllen confirmed this morning several of the people killed and injured in a highway accident on U.S. 281 were from Mexico.
Consul officials have identified three of the six who died in Thursday’s accident, but are not releasing their names until their families have been notified, said spokeswoman Sandra Mendoza.
She said two of the men, ages 33 and 35, were from Cuidad Valles in San Luis Potosi. The female victim in the accident was a 33-year-old woman from Palenque, Chiapas.
The other three men who died in the accident have not been identified, Mendoza said.
She said three of the injured were able to give brief statements to investigators, saying they were from the Mexican states of San Luis Potosi, Veracruz and Chiapas.
There were at least 12 people riding in a stolen Ford F150 truck when an 18-wheeler car carrier rammed into it Thursday morning on U.S. 281 about five miles north of Falfurrias.
Authorities suspect the pickup and the Ford Expedition it was following were smuggling undocumented immigrants into the United States.
Both vehicles, traveling east on County Road 405, failed to stop as they reached U.S. 281, said Lt. Bryan Rippee of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
A missing stop sign at the corner of the isolated road is being blamed for contributing to the wreck.
Rippee said investigators suspect another car knocked down the stop sign sometime Wednesday night or early Thursday and didn't report it.
The Ford Expedition was the first to cross the highway, speeding straight through U.S. 281 until it hit a culvert on the other side and becoming airborne, according to DPS troopers. The Expedition then became lodged between two wooden posts in a barbed-wire fence.
The car carrier struck the bed of the pickup as it entered U.S. 281.
Authorities now say five of the people injured in the accident are being treated at a Corpus Christi hospital.
The driver of the car carrier was not seriously injured.
The accident closed down U.S. 281 between Premont and Falfurrias for the majority of the day Thursday as authorities examined the scene and cleared up the debris. The highway was reopened after 9 p.m. last night.
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jzarazua@express-news.net
Paging President Bush, Sec. Chertoff, Sen Cornyn, Gov. Perry, and Humane Borders!
What's new?
This is certaily an ill written title..
It took me a while until I figured out that "281" refers to the Highway, and not the number of victims. Great headline! Journalism at its finest.
Let's be thankful the crash didn't occur on Route 999. Some headline. ;>
Did you also catch the 'undocumented immigrants' line instead of 'illegal aliens'?
I think the headline was written by the same guy who writes the VCR manuels. Even if they removed the spare tire I doubt they could have squeezed 281 people into a vehicle.
"Authorities suspect the pickup and the Ford Expedition it was following were smuggling undocumented immigrants into the United States."
Ya think? This is another example of more blood on the Federal Government's hands.
" smuggling undocumented immigrants into the United States." = smuggling ILLEGALS into the United States.
Hwy 281 crash update!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
That would be those of us who have insurance, my friend.
It is THIS which is bankrupting the U.S. healthcare system. Specifically, it is incidents like this costing hundreds of thousands of dollars which will NOT be paid by those being treated which is driving up healthcare costs. I've talked to those who are billing me for auto wreck health costs and they have TOLD ME that the above is what is the main driving force in rising. healtcare costs. In Mexico, they would have to pay or die at the door.
Watch out, the guys you listed will think this is a FINE idea...
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