Van Filled With Illegal Aliens Kills 2 in Freak Accident

Two men were killed on Interstate 5 in La Jolla Wednesday when a van loaded with illegal aliens ran over an accident victim who was lying alongside the freeway, then hit a Good Samaritan who was coming to his assistance, the California Highway Patrol said.

The accident, which occurred shortly before 6 p.m. in the midst of rush-hour traffic, was apparently unrelated to the earlier incident on I-5 in Del Mar that left a crane truck driver dead and tied up traffic for hours, said James Logan, a CHP spokesman.

After running over the second victim, Logan said, the van stopped and the driver and an undetermined number of aliens who were inside ran away. Two of the aliens were caught and turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol, Logan said, but the driver remained at large.

“Everyone just flew off,” Logan said.

None of the aliens was injured, Logan said.

The CHP is investigating the accident. The van’s driver could face criminal charges.

The incident occurred at 5:55 p.m. just north of La Jolla Village Drive. The scene is about six miles south of the earlier accident at Del Mar Heights Road.

At the time of the second accident, the CHP said, traffic was still somewhat backed up from the earlier incident. But most of the interstate’s lanes had been reopened, the CHP spokesman said.

One victim--the man who was crossing the highway to help--was identified as Monty Roberts, 31, of Temple, Tex. Roberts was visiting the area and was driving with family members after returning from a trip to Sea World, said the CHP spokesman.

Roberts’ relatives waited in the car as he walked across the highway to help the accident victim, Logan said.

The second victim was identified only as a 26-year-old male resident of the San Fernando Valley community of Tujunga.

Details of the accident were still sketchy Wednesday evening but CHP provided the following account:

The Tujunga man’s car, being driven in a “reckless” manner, flipped on its side in the left lane. A doctor stopped his car to provide assistance to the driver, apparently dragging the victim from the car. While the doctor was caring for the stricken man, Roberts apparently stopped his vehicle on the right shoulder of the freeway and began to walk across the highway to the accident scene in an effort to provide additional assistance.

At that point, the CHP said, the van loaded with illegal aliens ran over the Tujunga man, swerved and hit Roberts, who was near the middle of the freeway. The doctor was not hurt.

It was not clear what the Tujunga man’s condition was when he was run over by the van. He was declared dead at the scene.

Roberts was pronounced dead at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla.