Border Patrol caused wreck, resident says

The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) continues to investigate an accident that occurred north of Sonoita on State Route 83 involving a Patagonia man who said that a Border Patrol vehicle caused him to wreck his alternative-fuel vehicle.

Officer M.J. McCall, a DPS spokesperson, said that on Oct. 18 at 1:39 p.m., DPS investigated a two-vehicle collision along State Route 83. McCall confirmed that the collision, at milepost 34.9, involved Border Patrol and that one person was transported to University Medical Center (UMC) in Tucson.

Patagonia resident Saul Lieberman, who was treated for injuries that included stitches, a CAT scan, and X-rays before being released from UMC, said he is lucky to be alive. “It was hellacious.”

While Lieberman said he believes the driver of the Border Patrol vehicle caused him to roll his 1986 diesel Isuzu that ran on vegetable oil, he did not offer details about the accident.

Lieberman said that both DPS investigators and agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have interviewed him. “I haven’t seen an accident report,” said Lieberman. “They’ve been very tight-lipped about it.”

When contacted by the Weekly Bulletin/Nogales International, McCall said DPS is still investigating the incident and could not confirm whether any citations had been issued.

Agent Mario Escalante, a spokesperson for Border Patrol Tucson Sector, said that because DPS is handling the investigation, he could not comment on the incident.