On March 2, 2021, an

SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...

originating from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

(having entered the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

through a hole in a border fence) and carrying 25 people collided with a

semi-trailer truck A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semitruck, (or semi, eighteen-wheeler, big rig, tractor-trailer or, by synecdoche, a semitrailer) is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight. A semi-trailer ...

Imperial County, California Imperial County is a County (United States), county on the southeast border of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 179,702, making it the least populous county in Southern Californi ...

, U.S., killing 13 people.

Background

The

Ford Expedition The Ford Expedition is a full-size three-row SUV, manufactured by Ford. Introduced for the 1997 model year as the successor of the Ford Bronco, the Expedition was the first full-size Ford SUV sold with a four-door body. For its entire production l ...

, as found at the crash site, had the middle and rear seats removed, and could only safely seat six people despite carrying 25 people.

Crash

In the early morning of March 2, 2021, a red 1997 Ford Expedition carrying 25 passengers and originating from Mexico, having entered the United States through a hole in the border fence, was traveling westbound on Norrish Road in Imperial County, California. It entered an intersection, where a semi-trailer truck travelling north on the other road, State Route 115, crashed into the side of it, killing 13 people and injuring 13. According to authorities, the SUV ran the stop sign and drove in the path of the truck. The occupants of the SUV entered the United States in an unauthorized manner. The truck was carrying gravel cargo. The truck is owned by a company called Haven & Sons.

Aftermath

The accident closed all lanes in both directions of SR-115. The

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...

announced an investigation into the crash. Authorities in California are working with the Mexican consulate to determine who was in the vehicle and to notify next of kin. The

US Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

believes that it was part of a migrant smuggling operation.

References

2021 crimes in the United States 2021 disasters in the United States 2021 in California 2021 road incidents 2020s crimes in California 2020s road incidents in North America Car crash March 2021 crimes in the United States Road incidents in the United States Transportation disasters in California {{Road incidents in 2021