1999 — Aug 9, Farm Worker Van Collides with Truck, Five Points, CA — 13

—  13  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  FARS 1975-2010 Fatality Analysis.

—  13  Ukiah Daily Journal, CA.  “13 farm workers killed in trailer-van collision.” 8-10-1999, 5.

 

Narrative Information

 

Aug 10, AP: “Five Points, Calif. (AP) – Dora Portillo was one of the lucky ones.  So was her mom. After a long night of picking and sorting tomatoes, they caught their own ride back to Fresno.  Sadly, Ms. Portillo’s father, Juan Avila, was among the 15 people who piled into a 1983 Dodge Ram van after working the same shift.  They never made it home.

 

“The van, driven by an unlicensed driver, slammed into a truck before dawn Monday, killing all but two of the passengers.  It split in half across its front grill and buckled upon impact, and remained lodged on the flatbed frame until a tow truck pulled it away.

 

“”He told my mom, ‘You go ahead and go with them, so you can rest and go to sleep,”‘ the 26-year-old Ms. Portillo said, sobbing as she explained how there was not enough room in her friend’s car for both her parents.

 

“The accident happened shortly after 5 a.m., just southeast of this tiny town in Fresno County.  The truck driver was turning his rig around on a two-lane road after parking on the shoulder to sleep, CHP Officer Eric Erickson said.  The rig’s two trailers were empty.

 

“The van was going at least 55 mph, and “couldn’t avoid hitting the tractor-trailer,” Erickson said.  “Their brakes locked up.”  The skid marks were 50 to 80 feet long, Erickson said.  The driver of the truck, Adrian Erazo, 44, of Olivehurst, Calif., had a clean driving record. He was not injured.

 

“The van’s driver, whose identity wasn’t released, was among those killed.  He didn’t have a license and had had his driving privileges revoked because of several violations, Erickson said. The driver, from Fresno, had been cited for not wearing a seatbelt, not having a license, and was once arrested for drunken driving.  Erickson said ;there was no conviction for the DUI, but it wasn’t clear why.

 

“One of the injured survivors, Lucia Gonzalez, was in critical condition today after suffering internal bleeding.  The other, Gilberto Piedra Navarrete, 42, was in stable condition with two broken legs, a hospital spokes-woman said today.

 

“In Central California’s agricultural heartland, farm workers often have no alternative to traveling in crowded vans – a problem that has contributed to a disproportionate traffic death rate among Hispanics in the area.  The fatal crash is an illustration of some of the worries that persist despite concerted efforts to address the safety issues.

 

“Most of the 10 men and five women in the van were sitting without seat belts on two carpeted benches installed on each side, California Highway Patrol Officer Brian Yokley said.  It’s illegal in California to have, anyone ride without proper seats and seat belts, but certified farm vehicles are excluded from the law.  This van – owned by Ms. Portillo’s grandfather, Jose Lopez Rosas – received its last annual certification in 1997, but had not been certified since, the highway patrol said.  “Something has to change because every time you see these you don’t have one death, you have multiple deaths,” said Yolanda Cervantes, who organizes an annual driver safety awareness program in nearby Mendota.  “I’ve seen too many.”

 

“The highway patrol is trying to make a difference, so concerned that it has a team focused entirely on vehicles overcrowded with farm workers.  Six officers, dubbed “Los Centinales” – or “the Sentinels” — have spent the past three summers patrolling before dawn, stopping trucks and vans of farm workers to check whether the vehicles are complying with state codes.  “We stop those vehicles that are obviously overloaded … the back end is sagged down because of the weight of the people,” said Sgt. Jorge Chaidez, who runs the unit out of the highway patrol’s office in Fresno.  “I’ve seen up to 22 people in a small van.”

 

“The Sentinels program is an outgrowth of “El Protector,” a 10-year driver’s education effort aimed at Hispanics that has reduced the accident rate among people with Hispanic surnames by half.  In 1988, 25 percent of the population was Hispanic, but 65 percent of the fatal accidents involved Hispanics.  By 1998, the Hispanic accident rate dropped to 33 percent, even as the state’s Hispanic population grew to 28 percent, the California Highway Patrol said.” (Ukiah Daily Journal, CA.  “13 farm workers killed in trailer-van collision.” 8-10-1999, 5.)

 

Sources

 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Partial Data Dump of Crashes Involving 10 or More Fatalities, by Year, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 1975-2009 Final and 2010 ARF. Washington, DC: NHTSA, pdf file provided to Wayne Blanchard, 1-26-2012.

 

Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. “13 farm workers killed in trailer-van collision.” 8-10-1999, 5. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/ukiah-daily-journal/1999-08-10/page-5/