EL PASO, TX (10/09/2015) — An improperly restrained child and alcohol may have contributed to a wrong way accident that injured Joshua Velo, Hector Corona, Aaron Ramirez and a 4-year-old boy on Friday.
The El Paso Police Department (EPPD) identified the victims involved in a Friday night wrong-way car accident: 26-year-old Joshua Velo, 36-year-old Hector Corona, a 4-year-old boy, and 23-year-old Aaron Ramirez.
According to Special Traffic Investigators from the EPPD, the accident occurred at around 10:20 p.m. along Interstate 10 (US 180) near Mesa Street in El Paso, Texas.
Authorities reported that Ramirez drove his 2006 Honda Civic up the Mesa Steet exit ramp and entered I-10 the wrong way.
As Ramirez traveled eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-10, he collided with Velo’s 1997 Chevrolet Silverado.
The Impact injured a 4-year-old boy, who was a passenger in Velo’s Silverado. The child suffered serious injuries and was taken to El Paso Children’s Hospital for treatment.
Neither Velo nor Corona, the second passenger in the Silverado, were seriously injured.
According to police, Ramirez was injured and was transported to University Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.
Police believe alcohol and an improperly restrained child are factors contributing to this wreck. An investigation is currently ongoing.
Commentary
It amazes me that the State of Texas has not made a substantial effort to prevent drivers from entering highway off-ramps. Texas leads the nation in wrong-way crashes, and the number of wrong-way crashes in Texas jumped by 13 percent just last year! A report from NBC5 earlier this year found that despite numerous studies and recommendations into preventing wrong-way car accidents, TxDOT has still yet to implement many of those safety measures. Why?
