5 Immigrants Killed in Crash Near Border

A suspected smuggler driving a minivan filled with undocumented immigrants caused a head-on collision late Thursday that killed five people, including a pregnant woman and two children, according to U.S. and Mexican authorities.

Six other people, including both drivers involved, were injured when the westbound minivan swerved into the eastbound lane of California 94 and struck a pickup truck near the U.S.-Mexico border 15 miles east of San Diego.

The minivan’s driver was identified as Fidel Wilfredo Gonzalez, 19, of North Hollywood. He will be arrested on manslaughter charges after his expected recovery, said Brian Pennings, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. He said the man could face additional charges once the investigation is completed.

The pickup’s driver, a 69-year-old San Diego woman, braked but could not avoid a collision on the narrow two-lane road. She suffered minor injuries.

“It was a pretty horrific scene -- a tragedy,” Pennings said.

Authorities believe Gonzalez picked up nine immigrants in a remote area after they crossed the border on foot. The four surviving immigrants suffered broken bones and internal injuries, Pennings said, and at least one was in critical condition.

Such accidents occur occasionally on the winding roads and freeways near the border as smugglers use reckless methods to elude U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints and vehicles. In 2002 a smuggler driving the wrong way on Interstate 8 crashed into four other vehicles, causing six deaths.

Thursday night’s crash occurred several miles west of a checkpoint near the sparsely populated community of Jamul. Authorities say Gonzalez swerved into the wrong lane to avoid a Border Patrol checkpoint. It was not clear why he didn’t return to his correct lane.

Pennings said Border Patrol officers were not following the vehicle. High-speed pursuits have been criticized in the past by Mexican officials and immigrant-rights groups for endangering lives.

Mexican officials said smugglers were solely to blame in Thursday’s incident. “Obviously the [immigrants] were in the hands of traffickers that unfortunately put their lives at great risk,” said Luis Cabrera, the Mexican consul general in San Diego.

Cabrera said the victims had not been identified but that they all appeared to be Mexican citizens. The woman was three months’ pregnant, he said. The victims included a 11-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy.

Border Patrol officials declined to comment. Immigrant-rights groups say such accidents are the result of a crackdown that doesn’t take into account the safety of immigrants. More obstacles are just forcing immigrants to take greater risks, said Enrique Morones, president of the Border Angels.

“I think it’s tragic that people continue to die avoiding the Border Patrol,” he said.