QCOSTARICA – A truck loaded with wood, lost its braking power, rolled down a slope for almost a kilometer, dragging in its path an SUV, and coming to a stop when it hit a beer truck, this Friday morning, killing four people.
The crash occurred at 6:02 am at a crossroads on the south side of the Catholic church in the district of Cervantes, in the canton of Alvarado, in Cartago province.
Apparently, the heavy vehicle lost its brakes when it was descending a secondary road that connects the Presidio de Pacayas with Cervantes. Witnesses said it traveled about a kilometer uncontrollably.
Upon reaching the southern side of the Catholic church, where the junction with National Highway 10, which connects Cartago with Turrialba, it dragged a Hyundai Galloper SUV and then collided with a beer delivery truck.
Such was the speed of the truck with wood that despite the impact, it crossed both directions of the road and destroyed two commercial premises, a lottery sales and another next one in which they were going to install a greengrocer.
José Mauricio Mendoza Rizo, from the Cartago Red Cross, said that when they arrived at the scene, a preliminary review of the rubble was made and five people were counted.
However, he explained that minutes later, they determined that there were four deceased, three men and one woman.
The Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) identified the beer delivery truck driver as 33-year-old Luis Diego Godínez Badilla, a native of San Juan de Dios de Desamparados. In this same vehicle, Brandon Castro Barrantes, 20, was traveling as a companion, who was injured and taken to the hospital.
Also deceased was Miguel Francisco Araya Paniagua, 65, a resident of Bajo Cervantes who was dedicated to the distribution of bread. He was driving the Galloper vehicle; José Delfino Cubillo Castrillo, 60 and a redint of Estrada de Hojancha de Guanacaste, owner of the truck, accompanied by Leidy Yahaira Valencia Serrano, 37, a native of Matina de Limón and mother of two children.
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