2021 — March 2, undocumented SUV and semi-truck collide, State Hwy 115 near Holtville, CA–13

–13 Associated Press. “California crash kills 13 of 25 people crammed into SUV.” 3-2-2021.
–12 on-site
— 1 at hospital
–13 KABC, LA. “NTSB, CHP to meet amid human smuggling investigation…” 3-3-2021.
–13 News Break. “A horrific California SUV crash…linked to earlier crossing of…border.” 3-7-2021.

Narrative Information

March 2: “Holtville, Calif. — An SUV packed with 25 people pulled in front of an oncoming tractor-trailer on a two-lane highway cutting through farmland near the Mexican border early Tuesday, killing 13 and leaving bodies strewn across the roadway.

“When police arrived some of the passengers were trying to crawl out of the crumpled 1997 Ford Expedition, the front end of the rig still pushing into its left side and two empty trailers jackknifed behind it. Other victims were wandering around the fields.

“Twelve people were found dead when first responders reached the highway, which winds through fields in the agricultural southeastern corner of California about 125 miles (201 kilometers) east of San Diego. Another person died at a hospital, California Highway Patrol Chief Omar Watson said….

“The 22-year-old driver of the Ford Expedition was from Mexicali, Mexico, and was killed. The 69-year-old driver of the big rig, who is from nearby El Centro, was hospitalized with moderate injuries.

“The crash occurred around 6:15 a.m. at an intersection just outside the agricultural community of Holtville, which dubs itself the world’s carrot capital. Authorities said the tractor-trailer and its two empty containers were northbound on State Highway 115 when the SUV pulled in front of it from Norrish Road. It’s not clear if the SUV ran a stop sign or had stopped before entering the highway. It’s not yet known how fast the tractor-trailer was traveling.

“The deceased ranged in age from 20 to 55. Among the injured, the youngest is 16 years old….

“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….

“The speed limit for tractor-trailers on the highway is 55 mph (88.5 kph), 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….” (Associated Press. “California crash kills 13 of 25 people crammed into SUV.” 3-2-2021.)

March 3: “Holtville, Calif. (KABC) — Authorities are investigating whether human smuggling was involved when an SUV packed with 25 people slammed into a tractor-trailer in a remote Imperial County desert on Tuesday, killing the driver and 12 passengers near the Mexican border….

“Seats of the 1997 Ford Expedition were removed, making room for more people. The SUV, which would typically seat eight to nine people legally, collided with an empty tractor-trailer on Highway 115 at Norrish Road in Holtville — located about 125 miles east of San Diego and about 15 miles north of the Mexico border….

“The Mexican government issued a statement saying that the consulate has confirmed that at least 10 of the deceased were Mexican nationals and authorities were still working to confirm the identities of the other three who were killed in the crash.

“CHP officials say at the intersection the SUV drove “directly in the path of the big rig” around 6:15 a.m. The 2011 Peterbilt truck struck the left side of the SUV, which appeared to have been pushed off the road. Investigators were trying to determine if the SUV first stopped at the stop sign before entering the intersection.

“Authorities said the ages of those who were inside the vehicle, including those injured and killed, ranged from 15 to 53….

“Information about the occupants of the SUV, including where they were traveling to and from and why there were so many in one vehicle, is still under investigation.” (KABC, Los Angeles. “NTSB, CHP to meet amid human smuggling investigation in mass casualty crash in Imperial County,” 3-3-2021.)

March 3: “Holtville, Calif. — Thirteen people killed in one of the deadliest border crashes on record were among more than 40 migrants who entered the U.S. through a hole cut into Southern California’s border fence with Mexico, the Border Patrol said Wednesday. Surveillance video showed a Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Suburban drive through the opening early Tuesday, Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol’s El Centro sector chief, told The Associated Press. It is believed they were part of a migrant smuggling operation.

“The Suburban carried 19 people, and it caught fire for unknown reasons on a nearby interstate after entering the U.S. All escaped the vehicle and were taken into custody by Border Patrol agents.

“The Expedition crammed with 25 people continued on, and a tractor-trailer struck it a short time later. Ten of the 13 killed have been identified as Mexican citizens. The rest of those in the SUV and the truck driver survived.

“The Border Patrol said its agents were not pursuing the vehicle before the crash. The opening in the fence was about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of the crash in the heart of California’s Imperial Valley, a major farming region.

“It was made of steel bollards that were built before former President Donald Trump blanketed much of the border with taller barriers that go deeper into the ground….

“The breach occurred in a busy area for illegal crossings near the Imperial Sand Dunes where migrants often climb over an aging barrier and wait for drivers to pick them up, hoping to avoid scrutiny of Border Patrol agents at checkpoints on highways leading to Los Angeles, San Diego and Phoenix. Border Patrol photos show a panel of eight steel poles was lifted out and left on the ground in the desert next to an old tire and other debris….

“The crash occurred around 6:15 a.m. under a clear, sunny sky at an intersection just outside Holtville, about 11 miles (18 kilometers) north of the border. Authorities said the tractor-trailer was heading north on a highway when the SUV pulled in front of it from a road with a stop sign….”
(AP. “SUV in deadly Southern California crash came through hole in border fence: Border Patrol.” abc11 Eyewitness News, 3-3-2021.)

March 5: El Centro — One of the 13 people killed when the SUV smuggling them into California hit a tractor-trailer was a 23-year-old woman…Yesenia Magali Melendrez Cardona…” (Associated Press. “Guatemala woman, 23, is among 13 killed in California crash.” The Mercury News, Bay area, CA, 3-4-2021, update 3-5-2021.)

Sources

Associated Press (Elliot Spagat). “California crash kills 13 of 25 people crammed into SUV.” 3-2-2021. Accessed 3-2-2021 at: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/hospital-suv-carrying-27-crashes-semitruck-killing-15-76205214

Associated Press. “Guatemala woman, 23, is among 13 killed in California crash.” The Mercury News, Bay area, CA, 3-4-2021, update 3-5-2021. Accessed 3-5-2021 at: https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/03/04/guatemala-woman-23-is-among-13-killed-in-california-crash/

Associated Press (Elliot Spagat). “SUV in deadly Southern California crash came through hole in border fence: Border Patrol.” 3-3-2021. Accessed 3-4-2021 at: https://abc11.com/accident-in-holtville-crash-25-people-suv-ford-expedition/10386066/

Davis, Charles and Azmi Haroun. “A horrific California SUV crash that killed 13 was linked to earlier crossing of US-Mexico border.” News Break, 3-7-2021. Accessed 3-7-2021 at: https://www.newsbreak.com/california/el-centro/news/2174998946233/a-horrific-california-suv-crash-that-killed-13-was-linked-to-earlier-crossing-of-us-mexico-border

KABC, Los Angeles. “NTSB, CHP to meet amid human smuggling investigation in mass casualty crash in Imperial County,” 3-3-2021. Accessed 3-3-2021 at: https://abc7.com/holtville-california-imperial-county-crash-big-rig/10385229/

Sacramento Bee, CA. “Hear details of fatal big-rig crash killing at least 15 in California.” 3-2-2021. Accessed 3-2-2021 at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article249633883.html