The wreckage of the Border Agents' SUV is removed from the accident scene Thursday, May 12, 2011 in Gila Bend, Ariz. Authorities say a fast-moving freight train that collided with the SUV, killing two Border Patrol agents, tried to get the driver's attention by blowing its horn before the crash. AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Carlos Chavez
Border Patrol agents talk on their phones as an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer leaves the frontage road along Interstate 8, Thursday, May 12, 2011, in Gila Bend, Ariz., hours after a train and Border Patrol vehicle collided in the early morning hours. AP Photo/Matt York
Customs and Border Patrol agent Kenneth Quillin speaks to the media Thursday, May 12, 2011, in Gila Bend, Ariz., hours after a train and Border Patrol vehicle collided in the early morning hours.
AP Photos/Matt York
The frontage road along Interstate 8 is closed Thursday, May 12, 2011, in Gila Bend, Ariz., hours after a train and Border Patrol vehicle collided in the early morning hours.
AP Photos/Matt York
The wreckage of a Border Patrol SUV sits on the tracks in front of a freight train Thursday, May 12, 2011 in Gila Bend, Ariz. hours after their collision in the early morning hours. Authorities say a fast-moving freight train that collided with an SUV, killing two Border Patrol agents, tried to get the driver's attention by blowing its horn before the crash.
AP Photo/Matt YorkVIDEO
UPDATE: Border Patrol Agent Talks About Deadly Ariz. Crash
They were assisting other agents following a group of suspected illegal entrants.
more >
Border Patrol Agent Reportedly Killed in Crash
Border Patrol agent has been killed after the SUV the agent was in collided with a train.
more >
FEATURED IN NEWS
- College Student, Intruder Killed in New York Break-In
- Motorcycle Deputy Critically Hurt in East Georgia Dies
- Ohioan to Appeal Conviction in 'Dying Blinks' Case
- Woman in Towed Car Likely Died at North Carolina Crash Scene, Autopsy Finds
- New Mexico Mom Chases Down Child Abductor; Man Arrested
- New Orleans Parade Shooting Arrests Cheered
- ‘Hatchet Hitchhiker’ Arrested in New Jersey Homicide
GILA BEND, Ariz. — Authorities are investigating a crash involving a freight train and an SUV that killed two Border Patrol agents as they maneuvered to capture a group of suspected illegal immigrants in southwestern Arizona.
The agents were positioning themselves Thursday on a road north of some other agents when their vehicle entered a marked railroad crossing and was hit by the train, said agent Kenneth Quillin, spokesman for the Border Patrol's Yuma sector.
The crash happened at about 6 a.m. MST in a rural farming area near Interstate 8 and the town of Gila Bend, about 85 miles southwest of Phoenix.
The Union Pacific train with 75 cars was westbound after leaving Phoenix. It was going about 62 mph when it hit the SUV, pushing it about a half-mile down the tracks, officials said.
The agents were identified as Eduardo Rojas Jr. and Hector Clark, both of the Yuma sector, which has close to 1,000 agents.
Statement from DHS Secretary Napolitano on Death of Agents
The suspects were on foot, and none of them has been arrested, Quillin said. "We do see groups (of illegal immigrants) on a regular basis traveling through this area."
Before the collision, the train engineers spotted the SUV on the access road and "sounded a horn a quarter-mile" before the crossing, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said at an afternoon news conference.
Union Pacific said in a statement its crew had no warning that the SUV would turn in front of the train. It did not elaborate.
The railroad crossing where the wreck occurred is marked but does not have railroad crossing arms, he said.
Arpaio declined to speculate on what might have caused the fatal accident.
"We are all at risk in that area of enforcing the drug and illegal immigration law," he said. The sheriff's office and FBI are investigating the deaths.
Hours after the crash, the mangled black SUV sat on the tracks in front of the train's engine as several agents and other law enforcement officers combed the area. Tarps were placed over some of the wreckage.
There have been six previous accidents at the privately owned railroad crossing, dating back to 1984, but only one involved a fatality, records show. One person died in July 2003 when a semi-truck driver failed to make a complete stop and was struck by a train.
Clark, who was 39 years old and a native of Yuma, had been an agent since August 2001. The 35-year-old Rojas was originally from El Paso, Texas, and had been an agent since April 2000.
Each agent is survived by a wife and two children.
"It's sad anytime you lose somebody in our organization," said George McCubbin, president of the National Border Patrol Council.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano issued a statement saying, "The entire DHS family expresses our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of these agents."
Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne said he joins all Arizonans in mourning the deaths.
"This tragedy is a reminder to all of us that whether they are facing down a criminal suspect with a weapon, or patrolling the highways and deserts, these law enforcement professionals encounter life-threatening dangers every day," Horne said in a statement.
___
Associated Press writers Mark Carlson, Bob Christie and Carmen Castro in Phoenix contributed to this report.
Related:
- ODMP Remembers Border Patrol Agent Hector Clark
- ODMP Remembers Border Patrol Agent Eduardo Rojas, Jr.
- From the Editor: The Tragedy in Arizona
- Border Patrol Agents Killed in Line of Duty, Through the Years
- Border Patrol Agent Memorial
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
