A horror movie Saturday on the road
It seems that Federal Highway 45, as it passes through the picturesque municipality of San Francisco de los Romo in Aguascalientes, decided that this Saturday at 7:00 AM was the perfect time to set up their own version of a crash park, but with real vehicles. The result: at least 21 involuntary actors in this performance, who ended up with more bruises than applause.
In this pyrotechnic spectacle of scrap metal and glass, the absolute protagonists were two tourist buses that, ironically, were heading to the sanctuary of San Juan de Los Lagos. Something tells us that the passengers said their first prayers long before arriving. Two trailers completed the cast, because what would a carambola in Mexico be without the imposing presence of a cargo truck?
The choreography of disaster
The authorities, in a burst of detective creativity, suggested that the wet pavement due to the rains “could have been related” to the incident. Take it now! What insight. Almost like deducing that water is wet. The official theory is that one of the units, it is not known which one because they were all busy trying not to collide, lost control. A masterful technical description for an event that, surely, was a perfect mix of speed, adverse conditions and perhaps a WhatsApp that couldn’t wait.
The driver of one of the buses, a 55-year-old Mr. José Luis, decided that the most dramatic way to get to the General Hospital of Zone number 3 of the IMSS was aboard the Force 1 helicopter, in a glamorous code red. His vehicle, a gray Irizar from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, had 47 souls on board. Of them, 19 had the dubious honor of being reviewed by the emergency services. A record!
But we couldn’t leave all the action on one bus. The other, a yellow Marcopolo driven by Noé N., 49, from Torreón, did not want to be left behind. Its driver also deserved a helicopter ride, although in order not to be repetitive, they transported him in the Halcón Uno helicopter. Because nothing says “efficient logistics” like having to deploy two aircraft for two drivers. There were 50 people traveling in this unit, because in the world of religious tourism, excess capacity is almost a dogma.
The unexpected cameos
And the trailers? Oh yes. The heaviest of the function. A white Kenworth tractor-trailer, driven by 30-year-old Uriel N., of Jalisco, was lucky to escape unharmed after paramedics evaluated it and decided it did not warrant attention. His vehicle, we presume, served as an improvised retaining wall. The other truck, an orange International from the Grado Alimenticio company, driven by Manuel N., 41, from Durango, did not even flinch. Its driver had no injuries, probably because his load of grade food… something… protected him like a divine shield.
The mobilization was, of course, titanic. Ambulances from the Red Cross, Firefighters, Civil Protection and the State Health Institute went to the scene to help the victims. It’s a shame that so much coordination cannot prevent these disasters, but at least the light and siren show must have been impressive.
At the end of the day, we have a wet pavement, more than twenty injuries, two helicopter trips and a lesson that, surely, no one will learn: on a wet road, it is better to be a tortoise than a hare. But what does it matter? In short, we will always have the consolation that the Red Cross and the emergency teams are there to pick up the pieces… literally.
Next time it rains and you go on the road? Maybe reconsider that speed. Or not. After all, faith moves mountains… and sometimes, buses.
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