Who Is Responsible For Saturday's Tragic Accident ?
The traffic accident that left four people dead early Saturday morning has stirred the consciousness of the public and the authorities, who say that these types of accidents are not uncommon.

A couple and their two children where crushed between the speeding truck and stopped bus on Route 32, the San José 0 Limòn highway, when a loaded tractor trailer slammed into the stopped traffic.

The accident occurred at 8:30am Saturday morning, some 29 kilometres past the Zurqui tunnel on route to Guapiles, when traffic was stopped to allow a truck to make a left turn.

A number of vehicles were ahead of the Guapileños, followed by the vehicle driven by 39 year old José Alfredo Quirós Solano. In the vehicle were also Solano's wife, Sonia Castillo Pérez, 37, and their children, Kenneth and Steven, 14 and 6 years old, respectively.

The truck, driven by a 21 year old man came, according to a statement made by the driver to the Policía de Tránsito, barreling down the highway. The force of the load and the excessive speed caused the truck to slam into the stopped traffic.

The Solano vehicle was crushed as the truck slammed into the rear end of the bus. The driver of the bus said that he saw the truck coming and within seconds felt the impact.

The Cruz Roja (Red Cross) and Bomberos (firefighters) were quickly dispatched on the scene, but there was nothing they could do for the Solano family and dedicated themselves to attending the other nine injured and extracting the body for the wreckage.

The ensuing investigation revealed that the truck that was being driven by the 21 year old was overloaded.

The head of the Policía de Tránsito, German Marín, said that the truck was carrying almost twice the permitted load of 20 tonnes and that the driver had a suspended driver's license and a number of traffic violations that included, drinking and driving and speeding.

What worries Tránsito officials is that this is not an uncommon situation on the roads and Marín vowed to become more stricter with trucks, especially trucks carrying heavy loads.

Traffic officials say that there is a complete lack of control when it comes to heavy trucks and especially to the trailers, to circulate without control to their weight and dimensions.

The current regulations allow anyone to obtain a driver's license without experience to drive heavy vehicles. In contrast, to obtain a license to drive a bus, the driver must have at least five year's driving experience.

The problem, according to Tránsito officials, is that although most transport companies say they hire drivers with at least three years experience, the age of the driver does not seem to be factored in.

The driver of the truck, whose identity has yet to be made public, was detained at the scene and will be before a judge today who will determine if he is to be set free or spend time behind bars while awaiting trial.

The man has been charged with four counts of "homicido culposo" (manslaughter) and could face up to 28 years in prison for each count if found guilty.