Pickup flips near Benson, killing 1 illegal immigrant and injuring 4


Tue, 10/06/2009 - 02:00






By Derek Jordan

A pickup carrying more than a dozen illegal immigrants rolled east of Benson on Sunday night, injuring four and killing one.


About 8 p.m., the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office began receiving 911 calls about the accident from Hispanic males who did not speak English, said Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office. The men did not know where they were, but told the sheriff’s office they had crossed the border and could see the lights from Benson.


Both the Douglas Police Department and the Arizona Department of Public Safety helped search the area for the wreck for about an hour until the sheriff’s office received a call from a man who had come across the incident, Capas said.


With his help, deputies and medics were able to locate the site of the wreck, which was east of Benson, off Dragoon Ranch Road and Sybil Road.


Upon arrival, the vehicle, a GMC 4x4 pickup truck, was found to be totaled, and a number of Hispanic men were nearby. One was declared dead at the scene by medics, and four others were injured, Capas said.


Two of the injured men were taken to the Benson Hospital for treatment, while the remaining two were sent to University Medical Center in Tucson.


Authorities have identified the man who was found dead at the scene, but were waiting for next of kin had been notified before releasing his identity.


During the response to the scene, Arizona Department of Public Safety officers located three men along Interstate 10 after they had walked there after the accident, and U.S. Border Patrol agents also encountered a group of four men a short distance away.


A total of 15 people were found to be inside the pickup when it rolled, Capas said.


Interviews with the men revealed all had been thrown from the vehicle when it rolled for undetermined reasons.


Border Patrol agents took custody of the uninjured men, and the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office Accident Investigation Team is continuing to look into the wreck


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