The father of the children who were crushed to death after a tanker accident in Bogotá spoke

On Christmas morning, this December 25, a traffic accident occurred that impacts the community of Ciudad Bolívar, in the south of Bogotá, and mourns the entire country. A private vehicle in which a driver, a woman and her four children were moving, was crushed by a heavy-duty truck that overturned on a curve.

The truck fell on the private vehicle, a Chevrolet Beat brand, in which part of the Chilatá Arana family was traveling and which provided a transport service through digital platforms.

Although the first versions indicated that the driver would be the father of the family and partner of the woman, in the last hours the Traffic Police clarified that the vehicle was driven by a man who was not a member of the family. Instantly, the driver and one of the minors died, while the mother and three children were rescued and taken to Meissen Hospital for care.

One of the sons, aged 5, arrived at the hospital without vital signs. In the last hours, it was reported that her 2-year-old brother died two hours later in an Intensive Care Unit due to the severity of his injuries.

Regarding the driver, it was confirmed that it was a man who provided the transport service via application.

The father of the Chilatá family is Willington Chilatá, vigilant and who by December 25 was waiting for his partner and children at home, after covering the shift on Christmas night. “I was waiting for them at the house and I had to come and look for them,” he told Noticias Caracol.

On the outskirts of one of the medical centers where he waits for news of his family, Willington spoke with a reporter from Noticias Caracol about the event and what awaits him in the future, now without two of his children, one under 5 and one under 2 years.

“I will really miss them. I have no words to describe it, “he said with great pain and added:” Every situation happens for a reason. Go ahead and fight for the people we have left ”.

About the accident

Keep reading: Another of the children injured in the tanker accident in Bogotá died

According to the first hypotheses and testimonies collected, a technical failure occurred in the heavy-duty vehicle. However, it is not ruled out that the vehicle has overturned due to speeding and several testimonies from people who attended the victims would reinforce the version. What was known is that the truck driver had an expired driver’s license and that he owes almost a million and a half pesos in subpoena orders.

“That truck was going to all because the street barriers cracked, took the car and then knocked over a pole. That post was the one that stopped the truck, because if not, it would have reached the other neighborhood as fast as it was going ”, Anderson Casallas, a witness who helped the family, told Caracol Noticias.

A woman, who also witnessed the accident, told CityTV how the vehicle overflowed on the slope. “He flipped around the bend, went around four times, fell on the carThe only thing I said to my children was: ‘stay seated’; I ran away, I tried to get the girl out, the girl turned her eyes, I said: ‘Mommy, calm down, calm down’; We opened the door on the right side, we took the lady out, the lady got out consciously ” expressed the woman, who also assisted the family.

Authorities are still investigating the events and no official ruling has been generated on the reasons behind the accident. However, according to El Espectador, the Bogotá Health Secretariat did not report that the truck driver was intoxicated during the accident. In any case, Legal Medicine is carrying out studies, including, of the state in which the person was driving behind the wheel of the family car.

At the moment, the 33-year-old mother remains under a reserved prognosis receiving psychological attention. The other members of the family, ages 9 and 14, are under medical observation. In the next few hours, a girl will be discharged.

It was learned about the truck driver that he is a 26-year-old man, who has injuries to his skull and soft tissues. Despite the serious injuries, the person responsible for the heavy-duty vehicle is out of danger.

If not for the private car, a post that stopped the trajectory and a small hill, the tragedy had the possibility of involving more people affected by the large-scale vehicle. Below the elevated curve, there are homes with families residing ten meters from the place where the final crash occurred.

The authorities have shown solidarity for the events. The Director of the Traffic Police, General Carlos Rodríguez, sent a warm message to the surviving members of the Chilatá Arana family and confirmed the preliminary conditions of the events.

“A greeting of total solidarity and support with the Chilatá Arana family, where at 8:30 am on December 25 in the Sierra Morena sector in Ciudad Bolívar, there is a sinister road between a tank vehicle, where this vehicle suffers a overturning and unfortunately falls on a private vehicle ”.

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