SIERRA VISTA — A sport utility vehicle was carrying as many as 28 suspected illegal immigrants when it crashed south of Sierra Vista, injuring several people.
More than a dozen people were hospitalized after Sunday’s rollover accident. Many others fled the scene.
About 11 a.m., a 1994 Chevrolet Suburban was traveling east on Miller Canyon Road when the driver lost control when turning onto Highway 92, a state Department of Public Safety news release stated. The vehicle left the roadway and entered the dirt shoulder before rolling.
Several passengers were thrown out during the wreck, the news release stated.
Fry Fire Chief Bill Miller said as many as 28 people were in the vehicle when it crashed, though many fled the scene.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were unable to say how many people were in the Suburban. Officials did confirm 16 people identified as passengers were either in custody or hospitalized, while Department of Public Safety officials confirmed 13 people were treated for injuries as a result of the wreck.
At least one passenger was airlifted to University Medical Center in Tucson for injuries that were not life-threatening, Miller said.
A number of passengers who fled the site of the wreck were later discovered near Here-ford Road, suffering from minor injuries.
“Most were minor injuries, cuts and abrasions, some possible fractures,” Miller said.
Passengers in the vehicle have been identified as citizens of Guatemala, Ecuador, El Salvador and Mexico, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Vincent Picard.
The incident was still under investigation, and no one had been taken into criminal custody as of Monday, Picard said.
The Department of Public Safety reported that it was not known whether the driver of the vehicle was one of those who fled the scene or was hospitalized.
The Sierra Vista Fire Department, the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Border Patrol were among agencies responding to the scene, Miller said.
Herald/Review reporter Derek Jordan can be reached at 515-4680
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/07/21/news/doc4a6579e1a8917192463039.txt
Be sure to check out the rest of FIRE Coalition at:
http://www.FIRECoalition.comFIRE Coalition Blog:
http://www.FIRECoalition.com/blogFIRE Coailtion Projects:
http://www.FIRECoalition.com/projects
