2009 — June 6, SUV Smuggling Illegal Immigrants, Blowout/Rolls, ~Sonoita, AZ–11

–11  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  FARS 1975-2010 Fatality Analysis.

–11  Nogales International. “Final defendant sentenced…SUV rollover…killed 11…” 9-27-2011

–10  Anniston Star, AL.  “10 killed in SUV wreck in Arizona.” 6-8-2009, p. 2.

 

Narrative Information

 

June 8, Anniston Star: “Sonoita, Ariz. — Ten undocumented immigrants “stacked like wood” in the back of a sports utility vehicle crammed with at least 22 people were killed when the driver lost control and rolled over on a remote southern Arizona highway, authorities said Sunday.  The Ford Excursion had no rear seat and most of the men and women were ejected when the SUV crashed.” (Anniston Star, AL. “10 killed in SUV wreck in Arizona.” 6-8-2009, p. 2.)

 

Nogales International: “The fourth and final defendant in the case of a deadly SUV rollover near Sonoita that killed 11 people in 2009 was sentenced to more than 5 years in prison Monday.  Oscar Garay-Mariscal, a 37-year-old Mexican national, was sentenced to 65 months in federal prison by a judge in Tucson. He was one of four defendants who pleaded guilty to conspiring to bring in and transport aliens for profit resulting in death.  The other three defendants, Ezekiel Peraza Garay, Jose Ramos Garcia and Carlos Jorge Garcia Gomez were sentenced to 75, 65 and 51 months, respectively.

 

“According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the men were part of a migrant-smuggling operation based out of Cananea, Sonora that specialized in illegally bringing people from Central and South America to the United States.  “Guides working for the conspiracy would bring aliens across the United States-Mexico border and guide them over the Huachuca Mountains to pick up spots near Sierra Vista,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “The groups of undocumented aliens would then be driven north to Phoenix … in large vans and sport utility vehicles.”

 

“During one of these operations on June 6, 2009, the prosecutor’s office said, the defendants were traveling in an SUV packed with 24 illegal immigrants on State Route 82 near Sonoita when the excessive weight caused the rear tires to blow out.  The vehicle rolled over numerous times, and most everyone inside was ejected.

 

“Eleven people, including the driver, died as a result of the crash.

 

“One of the survivors, a Mexican national, said a Border Patrol vehicle had been following the SUV when it rolled, a spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in Tucson told the Nogales International following the incident.

 

“Spokesman Julian Etienne said at the time that the man told a representative from the consulate that he and the other passengers were picked up from a house on the United States side of the border.  According to Etienne, the man said that because there were so many people crammed in the vehicle, many of the passengers couldn’t see out the window.  But approximately 20 minutes into the trip, he heard the driver say that the Border Patrol was following them.

 

“The man reportedly said that despite pleas from the passengers to slow down, the driver began speeding up, saying that “he had been caught before, and he didn’t want to expose himself again,” Etienne said. That’s when the tires blew.

 

“Etienne said the Border Patrol subsequently denied that one of its vehicles had been pursuing the SUV, and instead told him that an agent came across the accident scene later.  Contacted at the time for comment, the Border Patrol referred all questions to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the lead agency investigating the crash. However, DPS did not respond to queries.

 

“In a sentencing memorandum filed Aug. 26, 2011, Garay-Mariscal’s defense lawyer Clay Hernandez also asserted that the Border Patrol had been tailing the SUV.  “After the driver of the vehicle observed a United States Border Patrol vehicle in close proximity, he began to accelerate to rapid speeds which in turn caused the vehicle’s rear tires to blow out due to the oversized load in the passenger compartment,” Hernandez wrote.

 

“He described Garay-Mariscal’s role in the smuggling operation as that of a “trail scout” who was to be paid $500 for his contribution to the fateful 2009 trip. Hernandez also wrote that Garay-Mariscal sustained life-threatening injuries in the accident that left him in a coma for nine days.  “He remains racked with guilt over his being connected to an incident which led to so many lives being lost,” Hernandez wrote.” (Nogales International. “Final defendant sentenced in case of SUV rollover that killed 11 people.” 9-27-2011.)

 

Sources

 

Anniston Star, AL. “10 killed in SUV wreck in Arizona.” 6-8-2009, p. 2. Accessed at:  http://newspaperarchive.com/the-anniston-star/2009-06-08/page-2/

 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Partial Data Dump of Crashes Involving 10 or More Fatalities, by Year, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 1975-2009 Final and 2010 ARF. Washington, DC: NHTSA, pdf file provided to Wayne Blanchard, 1-26-2012.

 

Nogales International. “Final defendant sentenced in case of SUV rollover that killed 11 people.” 9-27-2011. At: http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/final-defendant-sentenced-in-case-of-suv-rollover-that-killed/article_7b330192-e992-11e0-a143-001cc4c002e0.html