A pileup on the Tepatitlán-Guadalajara highway left 16 people injured and at least one person burned, on June 21, 2023. Photo courtesy of Jalisco Civil Protection.
Juan Carlos G. Partida
Guadalajara, June 21.- A preliminary toll of five dead and 14 injured in "fair to serious" health conditions was the report that the State Civil Protection Unit (UEPC) released around 7:00 p.m. this Wednesday, after a multiple collision involving 16 vehicles that occurred shortly before 1:00 p.m., at kilometer 44 of the Guadalajara to Altos de Jalisco highway.
Accident
The accident, which was followed by several vehicles catching fire, forming a long wall of fire on the highway, involved six pickup trucks, four compact cars, four tractor-trailers, one dump truck, and an armored vehicle, most of which were burned or destroyed in the crash.
"Among the wreckage (of the vehicles), an average of four bodies were found, plus another at the side of the road. Preliminary figures indicate five deaths, but we are continuing to conduct further inspections of the vehicles, both those burned and those damaged by the collision," reported Víctor Hugo Roldán, director of the UEPC.
Governor
Governor Enrique Alfaro confirmed that one of the deceased, found on the side of the road, is Luz Sagrario González, "who was a councilor for a few months on the Guadalajara city council, which I headed, and currently works at ISSSTE and the Jalisco Health Department."
The injured were taken to both Tepatitlán and Jalostotitlán, the two closest towns, but given the severity of the injuries, several were also sent to hospitals in the Guadalajara metropolitan area.
It's too early to determine the cause of the accident, as it is said that one of the tractor-trailers lost its brakes, but Civil Protection personnel have also indicated that one of the most likely causes is poor visibility due to a grass fire that invaded the highway, causing the pileup.
