Young Girl Miracuously  Survives Drunk Driver Accident
While legislators discuss the new "Ley de Transito" that would greatly increase fines for traffic violations and get tough on drunk driving, the carnage on the road continues, especially when it involves alcohol and big trucks.

Yesterday afternoon the port town of Caldera was the scene of the latest tragic accident, when a tractor trailier crushed a small vehicle, killing one of the occupants and injuring the other two.

The driver of the tractor trailer was identified as Michael Chavarría Picado who was found to have a blood alcohol content of 3.04, when the legal limit is 0.49.

One of the Policía de Tránsito (traffic police) on the scene of the accident said it was a miracle that the year old girl travelling in the passenger vehicle wasn't killed, as the car was totally under the front wheels of the big truck.

The accident occurred in the late afternoon some 2 kilometres from Caledera on the highway that leads to Orotina. The dead man, the driver of the passenger vehicle, was identified as 20 year old Francisco Chinchilla Velásquez.

Witness say that the driver of the tractor trailer was driving like he was on some race course, weaving and racing with other vehicles. The driver of the vehicle ahead of Francisco, Ivan Barrantes Ulate, said he said the truck barreling down the open straightway of the road, passing vehicles and scraping his bumper as the big truck scraped another big truck and then struck the vehicle behind him head on.

The impact of was with such great force that it dragged the vehicle driven by Franciso for over 40 metres, trapped under its front end, with the front end of the tractor resting completely on top of the passenger vehicle. The rescue team had to use hydraulic equipment to remove the body of the young man.

Following the accident, the driver of the tractor trailer got down from his truck and tried to flee the scene by getting into another vehicle to get away. However, action by witnesses and other drivers dragged the man from the vehicle and held him until police arrived on the scene.

The driver of the other vehicle who tried to hide the drunk driver was also detained by police.

More than 20 people have died so far this year in traffic accidents involving big trucks. In January a family of four was killed when a runaway tractor trailer slammed into a passenger vehicle stopped in traffic on the San José - Limón route.