Border Patrol Agent, 4 Aliens Hurt When Truck Flips

Four illegal aliens and a Border Patrol agent were released from area hospitals Thursday after suffering minor injuries when the truck they were in overturned on a dirt road near the border.

The accident occurred at 9:26 p.m. Wednesday, Border Patrol spokesman Dana Cunningham said.

Ambulance drivers who responded to veteran Agent Norma Rende’s call had to cut a hole in the roof of the Dodge Ram Charger 4-by-4.

“The vehicle turned over on its side,” Cunningham said. “We don’t know how it happened. . . . It was at night, a dirt road, windy, with all kinds of bumps and little washouts. I don’t even know how fast Rende was driving.”

Bumps and Bruises

Cunningham said Rende, who has seven years’ experience as a Border Patrol agent, suffered a broken finger and a deep cut in her hand. The others had bumps and bruises and minor cuts but nothing more serious,” he said.

He said the accident happened on Dillon’s Trail, a rocky dirt road south of California 117 and east of Interstate 805. The four aliens, all from Mexico, were trapped in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, which Cunningham said was totaled.

He called the accident uncommon, adding: “We work in very rough terrain, usually at night. There’s always a chance a vehicle will get stuck in the canyon. But very seldom do we have accidents resulting in roll-overs.”

The San Diego Police Department investigated the case and concluded that “Agent Rende was not a contributing factor to the accident,” Cunningham said.

He said each of the aliens was allowed to speak to Mexican authorities before being returned to Mexico.

Rende was heading south, he said, hoping to round up other aliens, when the truck hit a bump and rolled over.

One paramedic vehicle and two ambulances were dispatched to the scene, along with a fleet of fire vehicles, but the truck never caught fire.

Police spokesman Bill Robinson said one of the aliens, a 17-year-old, was treated for cuts on the head and left hand. Memorio Caso, 33, was treated for injuries to the head, neck and back, and Louis Godinez, 19, and Rafael Cabarubias, 35, were treated for neck and back pain.