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Death toll at 6 following van rollover; 17 Burindians in vehicle, 11 helicopters respond
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| Fatal scene: The crash site last Wednesday in Texas Canyon was chaotic. (Dave Brown/Photos) |
Carol Broeder & Ainslee S. Wittig/Wick communications
The death toll has risen to six after last Wednesday's tragic collision on Interstate 10 near Texas Canyon.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) was notified Friday, June 5, that another person from the Texas Canyon collision has died in the hospital.
The remaining victims are listed as two in critical condition, one in serious condition, seven in fair condition and one in good condition.
At 2:04 p.m. last Wednesday, a "large passenger van" carrying 17 people lost control and rolled as it was traveling westbound near milepost 317, said DPS Officer Robert Bailey.
It had rolled over the left side guardrail and down the raised median (embankment) onto the left eastbound lane of I-10, he said.
Thirty-one-year-old Nzopfansaba Jean-Paul was the driver of the van. He was also injured.
A total of 17 occupants were in the van. Eleven of them were ejected.
Five passengers were confirmed dead at the scene, and helicopters flew the remaining 12 occupants to University Medical Center in Tucson.
Eleven helicopters responded to the scene from both the Phoenix and Tucson areas.
It appears that all occupants of the van were adults.
"It was horrifying - seeing bodies literally all over the road. The first ones in front of us were obviously dead," said Michael Turner, 44, who was one of the first to drive up to the scene with his father James Turner, a retired paramedic.
The elder Turner has more than 40 years of related paramedic, firefighting and safety service, mostly in the Richardson/North Dallas, Texas area. They now live west of Pearce.
"We saw brake lights and people pulling to the side and we had seen the puff of dust when the van went over the guard rail and hit the dirt. I pulled my vehicle (a black Explorer) up to block the scene and the people in the road from oncoming traffic," Michael said.
James, 62, took on the role as the incident commander until the first ambulance arrived on the scene, he said.
"That was probably the worst I've seen. But I just started doing what I am trained to do, telling people what needs to be done, checking bodies and helping people. When the first ambulance got there, they took over, and then DPS Sgt. (Jeff Mitchell) took over. Everyone worked together and there was no confusion. It worked like it could have been a training drill," James said. "We stayed for the duration."
The names of the injured and deceased are not being released until positive identification can be verified.
Eastbound traffic was stopped for three hours while medical helicopters landed to pick up the victims.
During the incident, traffic was backed up for more than five miles.
The eastbound lanes of the I-10 were re-opened at 6 p.m. last Wednesday, while the westbound lanes had remained open during that time.
Most of the victims were Burundians from a refugee camp in Tanzania who had been relocated to Tucson. The group had been seeking work at Eurofresh, Inc., in Willcox.
"Eurofresh, Inc. extends our sincere condolences to the families of the Burundian victims who died in an automobile accident on June 3 while traveling to our Willcox, Arizona greenhouse operation to seek employment," said CEO Dwight Ferguson.
"The loss and pain from this tragic event touches everybody in our company."
"Organizations such as the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which sponsored the passengers involved in this accident, work with us to give refugee employees a better life here in Southern Arizona," Ferguson said.
The IRC in Tucson is assisting with notification and translation efforts, Bailey said.
(Wick Communications Reporter Derek Jordan contributed to this report.)
The death toll has risen to six after last Wednesday's tragic collision on Interstate 10 near Texas Canyon.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) was notified Friday, June 5, that another person from the Texas Canyon collision has died in the hospital.
The remaining victims are listed as two in critical condition, one in serious condition, seven in fair condition and one in good condition.
At 2:04 p.m. last Wednesday, a "large passenger van" carrying 17 people lost control and rolled as it was traveling westbound near milepost 317, said DPS Officer Robert Bailey.
It had rolled over the left side guardrail and down the raised median (embankment) onto the left eastbound lane of I-10, he said.
Thirty-one-year-old Nzopfansaba Jean-Paul was the driver of the van. He was also injured.
A total of 17 occupants were in the van. Eleven of them were ejected.
Five passengers were confirmed dead at the scene, and helicopters flew the remaining 12 occupants to University Medical Center in Tucson.
Eleven helicopters responded to the scene from both the Phoenix and Tucson areas.
It appears that all occupants of the van were adults.
"It was horrifying - seeing bodies literally all over the road. The first ones in front of us were obviously dead," said Michael Turner, 44, who was one of the first to drive up to the scene with his father James Turner, a retired paramedic.
The elder Turner has more than 40 years of related paramedic, firefighting and safety service, mostly in the Richardson/North Dallas, Texas area. They now live west of Pearce.
"We saw brake lights and people pulling to the side and we had seen the puff of dust when the van went over the guard rail and hit the dirt. I pulled my vehicle (a black Explorer) up to block the scene and the people in the road from oncoming traffic," Michael said.
James, 62, took on the role as the incident commander until the first ambulance arrived on the scene, he said.
"That was probably the worst I've seen. But I just started doing what I am trained to do, telling people what needs to be done, checking bodies and helping people. When the first ambulance got there, they took over, and then DPS Sgt. (Jeff Mitchell) took over. Everyone worked together and there was no confusion. It worked like it could have been a training drill," James said. "We stayed for the duration."
The names of the injured and deceased are not being released until positive identification can be verified.
Eastbound traffic was stopped for three hours while medical helicopters landed to pick up the victims.
During the incident, traffic was backed up for more than five miles.
The eastbound lanes of the I-10 were re-opened at 6 p.m. last Wednesday, while the westbound lanes had remained open during that time.
Most of the victims were Burundians from a refugee camp in Tanzania who had been relocated to Tucson. The group had been seeking work at Eurofresh, Inc., in Willcox.
"Eurofresh, Inc. extends our sincere condolences to the families of the Burundian victims who died in an automobile accident on June 3 while traveling to our Willcox, Arizona greenhouse operation to seek employment," said CEO Dwight Ferguson.
"The loss and pain from this tragic event touches everybody in our company."
"Organizations such as the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which sponsored the passengers involved in this accident, work with us to give refugee employees a better life here in Southern Arizona," Ferguson said.
The IRC in Tucson is assisting with notification and translation efforts, Bailey said.
(Wick Communications Reporter Derek Jordan contributed to this report.)
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mr wrote on Jun 13, 2009 8:39 AM:
van?Was the van made to transport
17 people? "