01/01/1974
15 Persons Injured On Procession Route
Providence reported seven others injured in the accident.
They included Nancy Mendoza, 13, and two other persons named Mendoza; an adult, Alicia Rodriguez and two others named Rodriguez and Alicia Sosa, about 6, who was admitted lo intensive care with head injuries. Of the injured, six were children.
An elderly woman and an 8-year-old boy were killed and 18 others were injured today when a Juarez police motorcycle went out of control and crashed into the crowd viewing the Sun Carnival Parade at Williams street and Montana avenue.
Dead were Soledad Carillo of De Vargas drive, no age given, and Juan Esparza Ruiz whose parents live in Juarez.
The accident occurred when a Juarez Policeman doing acrobatics attempted to stand up his motorcycle and lost control of the vehicle and fell off. It roared off on its own power and plowed into the crowd. Two El Paso Policemen tried to head off the wild motorcycle with their motorcycles but were unable to reach it.
BUT THE injured and a group of persons suffering from food poisoning were all receiving emergency treatment and it was not determined immediately which was which.
Soledad Carrillo of De Vargas drive, no age given, but described as "elderly," was killed in the accident. She suffered a crushed chest.
Thomason General Hospital officials said.
Others injured at Thomason were: Lilia Gomez, 29, of Texas avenue; Melisa Carrillo, six months, of Bowen road; Mariano Carrillo Jr., about three years, of De Vargas drive; Mr. and Mrs. Hector Hernandez and daughter Elizabeth, 7, and Luz Hernandez, 45, and daughter Susan, 5, of Hercules avenue ; Nieves Lopez, 13, of Juarez; and Maria Cineceros of Findley avenue.
THERE WERE eight others reported injured at Providence Memorial Hospital.
Luis Perez, who was standing on the roof of a building on Montana avenue, gave this eye-witness account of what happened.
"I was taking pictures and looking down at the floats.
"SUDDENLY I heard a motor rev up and glanced down. I saw a motorcycle going full blast down the street — there wasn't any rider — and it must have gone between a quarter of a block or half a block, turned and plunged into a whole crowd of people.
"It was from a group of motorcycle riders.
"It hit an elderly lady and a man — he was wearing a sweater with the word 'Juarez' on it —and two little girls.
“THE PARADE was stopped and the police took the less injured in their cars to hospitals. The man lay in the street for a while, waiting for an ambulance. We couldn't tell how many were hurt — I'd say five or six. There was lots of confusion.
"It happened so quickly that people watching the parade on the corner didn't have a chance to get away."
Mr. Perez said the police acted quickly in getting the injured to hospitals and had cleaned up the area in about five minutes when the parade was started again.
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