Nineteen Passengers in Crashed SUV: Seriously Unsafe Vehicle

Florence, AZYesterday's vehicular crash of an SUV carrying an incredible 19 people in Arizona, is suspected of being just the latest example of the illegal smuggling of immigrants hell-bent on fleeing to the US.

Just imagine: nineteen migrants, stuffed into a typical SUV believed to be travelling in excess of 85 miles per hour along Arizona 79 when it left the narrow road at about 7:45am and rolled. Due to the combination of speed and excessive weight the SUV's roof was practically flattened, and the occupants didn't have a chance.

Nine were killed, with ten seriously injured. While the investigation is in its preliminary stages, police have identified the driver—who survived—as the likely suspect. The latter, as well as others, could face charges pertaining to the illegal practise of smuggling migrant workers into the US.

As gruesome as the August 7th crash appeared and the circumstances heartbreaking—especially for the families of those riding in the doomed SUV—this has happened before. In fact, it has been reported that Arizona 79 is a popular route for smugglers bent on spiriting illegal immigrants and migrant workers into the US by taking a page from the old Volkswagen Beetle-on-campus playbook and stuffing a single vehicle with as many human beings as it can hold, regardless of risk or safety.

This past April, for example, a pickup truck similarly jammed with human cargo rolled in Pinal County, Arizona. Of the estimated 60 persons shoehorned into that pickup truck—that's right, 60—four were killed and 27 injured. All of the occupants were migrant workers.

What's more, Thursday's crash came two years to the day after a Suburban similarly loaded with illegal immigrants rolled near Yuma. That crash killed 11 occupants, injured ten and sent the driver to prison for life. Adan Pineda-Doval was sentenced in mid-May for his role in the rollover, which happened after he swerved to avoid a spike belt deployed by Border Patrol agents.

So far investigators have not concluded the actual cause of Thursday's crash. However it is easy to make assumptions. The SUV was travelling at a high rate of speed along what has been described as a relatively narrow road. And even though the make and model of the SUV has yet to be released, it is safe to assume that a vehicle so grossly overloaded would behave erratically. No vehicle, save for an actual bus, is rated for 19 passengers.

With so much weight stressing the vehicle's suspension, it wouldn't take much on such a road and at such a speed to upset the applecart and cause the driver to lose control with, as we now know, disastrous results.

It has been reported that the Mexican Consulate for Arizona attended the scene. Alejandro Ramos, head of the protection department at the consulate, told the Arizona Republic that "in my experience, (and) I've been here three years, this is one of the deadliest accidents that I've experienced."

Authorities are working on the premise, based on the number of occupants, that illegal smuggling of immigrants was involved.

"With that many people crammed into a vehicle, it's probably a human-smuggling organization," said Lt. Mike Corbin, of the State Department of Public Safety.

It should be noted that the SUV was not being pursued by Border Patrol agents at the time of the crash, so it is unknown why it was travelling at such an unsafe speed. And while fatalities are rare when compared against the number of actual human smuggling attempts, they do happen. It has been reported that crashes are usually, not specifically tracked by law enforcement officials.

Of the crashes that do occur, the worst incidents are those that involve poorly-maintained vehicles severely overloaded and driven at high rates of speed along rural roads.

"These accidents occur because the smugglers don't care about human life," said Esmeralda Marroquin, supervisory Border Patrol agent in the Tucson Sector. "They overload these vehicles, and many times, these vehicles aren't in suitable condition."

And somebody must be held accountable.