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UPDATE: Death
BY MARK RANDALL, SUN STAFF WRITER
--See Image(s) Below--

Published on: August 7, 2006

An apparent immigrant smuggling attempt turned fatal north of Yuma Monday morning, killing nine suspected illegal immigrants and injuring 13 other illegal aliens who were all packed inside an SUV while fleeing from agents.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said a Chevrolet Suburban holding as many as 22 suspected illegal immigrants rolled over around 6:30 a.m. on Martinez Lake Road after the vehicle swerved to avoid spike strips deployed by the agents to slow the Suburban.

U.S. Border Patrol agents spotted the vehicle traveling on a dirt road near the Arizona-California border. A border patrol spokeswoman said the route is commonly used by smugglers to avoid a checkpoint on U.S. Highway 95.

***image5***The driver of the Suburban tried to outrun the agents and ended up heading east on Martinez Lake Road toward U.S. Highway 95, but flipped over when it attempted to make a U-turn near milepost 4.

Border Patrol spokeswoman Veronica Lozano did not know how fast the vehicles were traveling when the accident occurred. Agents immediately called for medical assistance.

Yuma County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Maj. Leon Wilmot said the individuals were stacked like "cord wood" inside the vehicle.

"Having that many people in a Suburban, I don’t think they were all seat belted in," Wilmot said. "They (smugglers) pack them in there so tight, there is no room."

Emergency medical units from Yuma Proving Ground, Yuma Fire Department, Rural/Metro Ambulance Service and Somerton Fire Department all responded to the incident.

Five individuals were pronounced dead at the scene and 16 were taken to Yuma Regional Medical Center, according to some officials. Other estimates said 22 were involved in the accident.

Four of the individuals transported later died at the Yuma hospital. Six, including a pregnant woman, were flown to a Phoenix hospital for care of more serious injuries.

Three patients, one of which is in serious condition, remain hospitalized at YRMC. The other two patients are still being evaluated by the emergency department.

Three individuals were treated and released to federal officials.

Rick Hays of Border Patrol’s Yuma sector said rollover accidents are unfortunately common because smugglers often overload their vehicles and flee at high rates of speed and lose control as they are trying to get away. Hays said that the accident was the worst he has ever seen in Yuma.

"These smugglers try to get away and they don’t have any compassion for these people," Hays said. "The smuggler’s main goal is to get them (immigrants) where he needs to get them and collect his fee."

Spike strips are commonly deployed to slow a vehicle in a controlled fashion in order to minimize the risk to the public’s safety, but have led to several rollover accidents in the past.

Last March, a suburban filled with 20 illegals rolled over on Interstate 8 when it attempted to avoid a spike strip while fleeing from Border Patrol. A 55-year-old Hispanic woman was ejected from the vehicle and killed in the incident and three others were injured.

Border Patrol agents must get the permission of a supervisor to deploy the spike strips, he said.

"It is deployed when we have a vehicle that is posing a threat to the community and that by allowing them to continue would pose a greater threat," Hays said.

The strips puncture the tires and cause them to slowly deflate, which reduces the chances of the driver losing control of the vehicle.

"That has happened in the past when they have been deployed and the individual sees it," Hays said. "All we want to do is make sure that the general public is protected. ... Imagine if that vehicle plows into a school bus or plows into a woman who has her baby in a minivan. Those spike strips are a tool that allow us to (prevent) that."

The incident remains under investigation by Yuma agents with Immigration, Customs and Enforcement and YCSO.

Rescuers help victim of vehicle rollover. Sun Photo/Terry Ketron

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