Family Tragedy Brings Promises To Repair Bridges
Unfortunately many have to give up their lives to bring home the point to authorities on the deplorable state of the roads in Costa Rica, especially the side and country roads that connect to the main highways.

Such was the case yesterday when three members of a family drowned after their vehicle plunged off one of the many bridges in the back road that moves traffic over the river Las Vueltas, near Parrita, as the family was driving from Quepos.

The vehicle was being driven by 35 year old Randall Araya and accompanied by his father, 61 year old Marco Vinicio Araya Sojo and his three year old daughter, María Paula Araya Solórzano.

Miraculously, the child's mother, 32 year old Rebeca Solórzano Campos, survived the accident which occurred at 10:30pm Wednesday night.

Preliminary versions of the accident indicate that the driver was distracted by the narrow bridge, which has been in deterioration for years and having no barriers.

Francisco Pérez, a Cruzrojista (red cross worker) who was called to the scene of the accident said that the three were trapped in their vehicle for more than 15 minutes, drowning as a result. A group of people who were near the scene of the accident threw themselves in the river in an effort to save the lives of the occupants of the vehicle.

Rebeca said she fought her way out of the vehicle, as she was riding in the passenger side and was able to climb through the window, screaming and trying to pull the rest of her family out to no avail. The woman was treated for multiple bruises and cuts and water in her lungs.

According to Pérz, the poor condition of the bridge is the blame for the tragic accident and the not the first.

During the month of December a number of similar accidents were reported in the area between Quepos and Parrita, where at least two vehicles fell of similar bridges, but fortunately there were deaths reported in those accidents.

Tránsito (traffic) officials on the scene say that fatigue and bad driving contributed to the tragedy.

However, residents of the area say that they have complained to the local municipality of the dangers of the bridge that has no signage and barriers, making it extremely dangerous to cross at night. One resident told the television cameras on the scene that he has lodged a formal complaint, but that complaint has fallen on deaf years.

The family, residents of Orotina, were returning from a trip to visit family in Panama. Rebeca told news reporters that this is not the first tragic accident to befall her family, last year she lost a neice to a traffic accident in Upala.

For her part, the ministra de Obras Públicas y Transportes, Karla González, is promising to repair many of the deteriorated bridges that, according to the minister, have been deteriorating for the last 20 years, and hopes to avoid similar tragedies in the future.

The minister is promising to have many of the bridges in the area repaired by mid February and with an investment of some ¢400 million colones (us$775.000 dollars), principally the bridges over the rivers Paquita, Parrita and Naranjo, where daily congestion can add one half hour or more to a trip as the traffic can only move in one direction at a time on the bridges.