(Courtesy photo)
The driver of a Ford F-150 rolled over the truck after trying to evade law enforcement on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2022, north of La Joya. One man died and 11 others were injured.
Some of the people involved in a crash in which 12 people were ejected and one was killed are from Poland and Romania, according to a news release from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The passenger who died at the scene was from Guatemala, while the rest are from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Poland and Romania.
Troopers continue to investigate the one-vehicle rollover crash that happened right before 10 a.m. Wednesday on 7 Mile Line Road, west of Farm-to-Market Road 2221 and north of La Joya.
According to the preliminary investigation, a Hidalgo County Precinct 3 constable’s deputy tried to conduct a traffic stop on a tan Ford F-150 occupied by 12 men, including the driver, for a traffic violation.
DPS Lt. Christopher Olivarez said the pursuit began when law enforcement saw the vehicle speeding and ran a red light.
“The driver of the Ford evaded and continued traveling westbound on FM 2221 and onto 7 Mile Line Road where he lost control of the Ford and rolled over,” the release said.
The report said the driver and the occupants were ejected from the Ford. A Guatemalan man died, while the other men were taken to local hospitals for major injuries.
One of the occupants has since been released from the hospital.
Olivarez said the incident is believed to be a failed human smuggling attempt and that the driver will later be charged.
