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Woooosh
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4 year old girl hit by SUV dies at TJ border crossing. Mother and child begging for money.
This incident happened yesterday. There is another ongoing thread about the proposed laws for Mexican street children. This incident is disturbing
to me mostly because the Mexican authorities are considering filing charges against the US resident female SUV driver. WTF? Anyone who crosses at
this POE knows it's a crazy driving experience as 4 lanes turn into 12 on each side- a true free for all. No marked lanes and no rules. It is
difficult enough to negotiate without having to worry about a small child most of us wouldn't be looking down for. Most of us are checking our
mirrors, staying close to the car ahead (so no one cuts you off or hits you trying) and looking for the best lane to head for.
Yes, it is a tragedy and I do feel for the dead child and her family. It's a horrible way for a four year old to live and die, but it's the fault of
the childs mother, not the poor driver. JMHO and I'm sticking with it. This is a problem Mexico can fix with one cop chasing the pedestrian beggars
away and out of harms way- if the police had the will to do so. But to blame the driver? And who do you think will be paying for the girls emergency
room trip to the USA? What say you fellow nomads who also cross here?
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jun/04/bn04tjgir...
"A 4-year-old Tijuana girl died at a Chula Vista hospital after being struck and dragged by a sport utility vehicle in a vendor area on the Mexican
side of the international border, authorities said yesterday.
Bacilia Andrade died about 3 p.m. Wednesday, shortly after being taken to Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, the county Medical Examiner's Office said.
The girl's mother was believed to have been among vendors selling items to drivers waiting to cross into the United States at the San Ysidro Port of
Entry, said Alberto Diaz, spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in San Diego. He said Mexican authorities were investigating.
The girl's mother was holding the child's hand when her daughter was hit by a Chevrolet Suburban, pinned under a wheel of the SUV and then dragged a
few feet, Diaz said. The mother was not hit. The driver, a 51-year-old woman who is a legal resident of the United States, "said she didn't see the
child walking beside the vehicle," Diaz said.
There were conflicting reports about what happened after the child was hit. The Medical Examiner's Office report said the driver failed to stop, while
Diaz said the traumatized driver did stop.
Diaz said consulate officials went to the hospital after being notified of the accident They paid to bring the girl's body back to Tijuana and
accompanied her parents to Mexico. The parents have two other children, he said.
Whether Mexican authorities will file charges against the driver depends on the results of an investigation, Diaz said.
After the girl was struck, authorities from both sides of the border provided medical aid, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, said
Angelica De Cima, a customs spokeswoman. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department medics took the girl to the hospital.
[Edited on 6-5-2009 by Woooosh]
[Edited on 6-5-2009 by Woooosh]
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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bajabound2005
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OK, I don't get why she was taken to a US hospital since it happened on the Mexican side.
And I agree, Woooosh, the police should be out there running those people off. It's extremely dangerous.
Very sad situation for this poor family - and for the driver.
Friends don't let friends drink white zinfandel.
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Cyanide41
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That's sad. I feel bad for both women involved. I drive a big truck and there have been a couple of times I have been surprised by people I didn't see
while waiting to cross.
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Bajajack
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I wouldn't be surprised if it happened on a daily basis, you have a gazzilion kids running in & out and the police standing by watching &
doing nothing.
I do feel for the driver.
\"take what you can, give nothing back!\"
We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the
American people.\'
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
We can have no \"50-50\" allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all.
Theodore Roosevelt
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BajaGringo
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I always fear such an accident happening as I watch how these kids weave in and out of the cars, often below the line of sight of drivers trying to
make their way to the gates.
Why was she taken to a hospital in the US? My guess is that it happened in US territory. Lots of those kids "work" on the north side of that dotted
line that runs diagonally across a ways back before you reach the gates.
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arrowhead
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I think the accident occured on the US side of the border. The inspection stations are about 100 yards North of the physical border. Since the article
says that US Customs came to help, and they carry sidearms, I don't think they would step across the border into Mexico. Also, it would be a lot
faster to take the girl by ambulance North into the US than to try to get a Mexican ambulance up through the line to pick her up and then turn around
back into Mexico.
If this were in the US, that mother would be charged with criminal child endangerment for walking a 4-year old among a line of cars on a roadway. The
fact that the Mexicans would even consider trying to charge the driver just shows how far up their arse they have their heads.
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Dave
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Woooosh
This incident is disturbing to me mostly because the Mexican authorities are considering filing charges against the US resident female SUV driver.
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Mexican authorities should learn a lesson from this and institute policies to ensure this never happens again...
But they won't.
Vendors have no business being in the middle of traffic lanes. I'll bet there are even laws against it.
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Woooosh
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| Quote: | Originally posted by arrowhead
I think the accident occured on the US side of the border. The inspection stations are about 100 yards North of the physical border. Since the article
says that US Customs came to help, and they carry sidearms, I don't think they would step across the border into Mexico. Also, it would be a lot
faster to take the girl by ambulance North into the US than to try to get a Mexican ambulance up through the line to pick her up and then turn around
back into Mexico.
If this were in the US, that mother would be charged with criminal child endangerment for walking a 4-year old among a line of cars on a roadway. The
fact that the Mexicans would even consider trying to charge the driver just shows how far up their arse they have their heads.
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It is very rare to see vendors and beggars cross that faded yellow bumpy line. Very rare. Once you cross that line you have shown your intent to
enter the USA and are subject to inspection. Maybe the customs agents first thought it was a diversion of some type. I'm sure they are alert and
suspicious first and compassionate second.
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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DENNIS
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At 3:00 in the afternoon by the junk stands, it's hard to imagine a car getting up enough speed to do any type of harm unless one was pinned between
vehicles. Something's wrong here.
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Cyanide41
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Dave
Vendors have no business being in the middle of traffic lanes. I'll bet there are even laws against it. |
The poses in interesting question. A few times I have seen local vendors scatter. Which usually would raise an alarm. I think it was because there
were "officals" comming and they were not suppossed to be selling there. I think some of the vendors were badges. I wonder if you need some sort of
license to sell there. You know the Indio ladies w/ kids wouldn't have the badges.
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SiReNiTa
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| Quote: | Originally posted by arrowhead
The fact that the Mexicans would even consider trying to charge the driver just shows how far up their arse they have their heads.
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arrow head...i know it is a mistake to charge the driver but PLEASE REFRASE...there are mexicans on here and you are speaking in a general sense...not
all of us have are arse in out head tyvm...
on the other hand my heart goes out to the childs family and the driver, i have been across the border many times and i know how dangerous it is and
many times i have thought how irresponsable the mothers of the children are to bring them there to cause pity and get more money that is very sad
indeed to use a child in such way, but the blame goes to both sides of course if i had to blame someone it would be the mother BUT the cars in the
crossing are usually going very slow and most vendors and/or children try to keep clear of cars wheels i mean...just common sense...but sadly humans
make mistakes, it was a mistake for the mother to take her child with her to "work", it was a msitake for the child to not look where she was going
and it was a mistake from the driver to hit the girl, i know sometimes it is hard to see and you have to be on the look out for other people that may
cause accidents but i dont think that justifies hitting someone...so i am not taking sides here...everyone makes mistakes and unfortunantly this time
these mistakes led to a childs death...
lets hope mexicans do not press charges, it would be a waste of money they could be using to get the children of the streets...
Live life as well as you can,
don\'t regret the things that once made you smile,
learn from your mistakes,
and thank God for every second he gives you upon this earth.
Visit me at
Http://BajaScents.Scentsy.com.mx
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DENNIS
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About a thousand years ago in Mazatlán, a bicycle rider ran into my parked car while I was getting out of it. I was taken to jail, the rider went
for medical care and his bike was stolen by the police.
I was fined after being issued an attorney who I also had to pay along with the judge. My attorney explained that, although everybody knew I wasn't
responsible for anything, I had to pay because I could afford it and the bike rider couldn't. In those days, no motives were hidden and it was just
the way it was. How dare I ask?
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Cyanide41
The poses in interesting question. A few times I have seen local vendors scatter. Which usually would raise an alarm. I think it was because there
were "officals" comming and they were not suppossed to be selling there. I think some of the vendors were badges. I wonder if you need some sort of
license to sell there. You know the Indio ladies w/ kids wouldn't have the badges. |
I think they do. The vendors working for the shops wear an ID. The "Marias" don't. Sometimes the city will put on a push to discourage giving money
to the panhandlers. They say it will make matters worse. I'm not sure what "Matters" they're referring to but I'll bet it's not the matter of the
mother's children's dinner.
What a world.
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Bajajack
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And everyone went back to business as usual as soon as it was over.
\"take what you can, give nothing back!\"
We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the
American people.\'
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
We can have no \"50-50\" allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all.
Theodore Roosevelt
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BajaGringo
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Dennis, the story of your experience with the bicyclist hitting your car is pretty much the same throughout Latin America. I know of a case in
Argentina where a despondent young man ran out into traffic on a busy highway coming into downtown, wanting to end his life. The family and the boys
girlfriend all made statements that he was suicidal but the family also pressed to have the poor guy driving the car that hit him pay for his funeral
expenses and some compensation for his loss.
My father-in-law at the time was the attorney for the guy driving the car and told me that they would settle with the family for the equivalent of
about $2500 USD. When I questioned the legal basis he explained that there was almost none, but that the "system" would see the difference in
socioeconomic status between the two and side with the family as a means of bringing some type of social justice to the playing field.
Not fair he said, but just the way the system worked. And then he went on to say...
"and that is why I just take a taxi".
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Woooosh
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| Quote: | Originally posted by SiReNiTa the blame goes to both sides of course if i had to blame someone it would be the mother BUT the cars in the
crossing are usually going very slow and most vendors and/or children try to keep clear of cars wheels i mean...just common sense...but sadly humans
make mistakes, it was a mistake for the mother to take her child with her to "work", it was a msitake for the child to not look where she was going
and it was a mistake from the driver to hit the girl, i know sometimes it is hard to see and you have to be on the look out for other people that may
cause accidents but i dont think that justifies hitting someone...so i am not taking sides here...everyone makes mistakes and unfortunantly this time
these mistakes led to a childs death...
lets hope mexicans do not press charges, it would be a waste of money they could be using to get the children of the streets...
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I have to respectfully disagree with the "going slow" premise. Once you are locked into of of the 24 inspection lanes yes, it is slow. But while
peole jockey for those lanes it is not uncommon to see a stream of cars shoot by at 15-20mph in one lane and other people cutting over to get into a
gap very quickly. Or is this just when I cross? Negotiating the mayhem without a fender bender is challenge enough- you can't really hold drivers
responsible for running over people standng in traffic lanes- no matter their age. This whole area is all one lane with no lane markings until you
hit the yellow poles. The drivers force each left or right and then keep branching off into more lanes as they get to the open inspection lanes.
Yes, you need a permit to be there and you do see beggars run for cover and hide between cars when the police chase them away- just not often enough.
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Woooosh
Anyone who crosses at this POE knows it's a crazy driving experience as 4 lanes turn into 12 on each side- a true free for all. No marked lanes and
no rules. |
What is amazing is how amny gringos lose all civility in the broder line and often drive like maniacs dashing ahead a few feet just to get ahead by a
car length or two, or accelerating wildly to block someone trying to merge. I have seen many people jockeying for position doing stupid manueavers --
and if they hit someone in process, I would think they would be at fault for reckless driving. Maybe tthe driver deserves to be prosecuted. Drive
badly and pay the price.
Its probably all on video tape, if near the border, so will be easy case to decide at trial.
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SiReNiTa
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well i agree with both of you...its true that many people drive faster than they should there but still i mean...just because some people do it doesnt
mean it justifies taking a persons life...i know it was not intentional but it is also very rare to see cars going fast enough to kill someone...i
mean...how fast can you go with hundreds of cars around you...i could understand a broken leg or severe injuries of some kind but death?? some one
said earlier that the vehicle draggedd the little one for a small distance...that seems wierd because you would think that the person would immediatly
feel a bump or something to let her know she hit something or someone...either that or the mothers screaming which i am sure was pretty loud seeing as
her daughter was being carried under the cars tires...so i stick to my opinion that both sides had mistakes and it is not just the fault of the
driver.
As someone said earlier "i am surprised it doesnt happen every day!" thats right it doesnt happen every day then how come if people avoided hitting
the vendors or children in the past the person driving the SUV did not...
mtgoat...although i agree with the first part of your post i dont see how a trial would solve anything...i mean i'm sure the poor driver feels bad
enough and the mother does also...the trial will not bring the poor girl back and it wont stop things like this happening in the future
either...instead of putting money in to the trial they could put it towards making the border crossing experience better and taking care of the poeple
that work there might they be vendors or their children...lets just hope this all serves as a learning experience to everyone...
Live life as well as you can,
don\'t regret the things that once made you smile,
learn from your mistakes,
and thank God for every second he gives you upon this earth.
Visit me at
Http://BajaScents.Scentsy.com.mx
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Fred-o
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The craziness at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa are the reason I cross the border at Tecate. Just one long lane (sometimes) that splits into two lanes right
at the checkpoint. Few vendors, and no "jockying" for position. Yes it's a longer drive, but to me the peace of mind is worth it. Time wise it's
usually about the same. When the the current construction along the way is completed, it will be a very nice drive.
Oh Oh; another "Baja Secret" revealed.
I'm sorry for all those involved in this unfortunate accident.
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ncampion
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| Quote: | What is amazing is how amny gringos lose all civility in the broder line and often drive like maniacs dashing ahead a few feet just to get ahead by a
car length or two, or accelerating wildly to block someone trying to merge. I have seen many people jockeying for position doing stupid manueavers --
and if they hit someone in process, I would think they would be at fault for reckless driving. Maybe tthe driver deserves to be prosecuted. Drive
badly and pay the price.
Its probably all on video tape, if near the border, so will be easy case to decide at trial. |
Most of the bad driving/lane hopping that I see at the border is from cars with Mexican license plates on them. I use as much caution as possible to
avoid a last minute fender bender that would ruin an otherwise good Baja trip. What good is saving two minutes on an hour wait at the border?
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