Three to Four Accidents Weekly At Airport Intersection
Without question the intersection west of the Juan Santamaría International airport on the General Cañas highway is one of the most hair raising and dangerous in the country. The intersection is scene to 3 to 4 accidents a week.

In yesterday's accident, the intersection claimed the life of a young man when a tractor trailer slammed into the passenger vehicle, dragging it across the intersection and ending up close to the airport runway.

Witnesses say that the passenger vehicle failed to make a stop at the intersection.

The driver of the tractor trailer, shaken up by the accident, told authorities that the vehicle crossed his path and could not avoid getting it caught under the front of the truck and dragged across the incoming lanes, taking down the airport security fence and stopping short of the east end of the runway.

At first questions were being raised that there might have been a traffic light malfunction. However, the director of Tránsito (traffic) said the traffic light is working well.

According to unior Araya, from the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT) engineering department, the intersection has been studied and will part of the contract for changes to the San José - San Ramón section of the highway.

The project is expected to use different grade levels to change the dyamics of the intersection to make the intersection safer and moving traffic better. However the MOPT engineer did not provide specific details of the changes to the intersection.

Juan Carlos Hernández Meneses, 30 years of age, who died at the scene, was driving the Nissan Sentra. Eye witnesses say he failed to make the stop as he attempted to access the highway.

The tractor trailer, driven by Víctor Manuel Gómez Jiménez, 24 years of age, tried to brake when the Nissan crossed his path as he passed the traffic light, but couldn't, hitting the Nissan square on, dragging it about 50 metres (150 feet), crossing the median and slamming into the airport security fence, where the Nissan broke free and the tractor trailer continued almost ending up on the runway tarmac.

The Teletica Channel 7 news traffic camera permanently posted at the intersection, used for traffic reports, caught the accident in living colour.

The accident occurred at 7:30am.

According to family members, Hernández, father of a four month ond baby, left his house in Alajuela as usual and was going to take his wife and baby to his mother-in-law's house in Hatillo, south of San José, however changed his mind, deciding to make a stop to purchase some construction material for his home instead, before going to work and meeting up with some of his soccer buddies for a quick game.

Mauricio Calvo, one of the other vehicles involved in the accident, said he was stopped in traffic and saw the trailer, dragging the Nissan, coming his way and thought he was going to die. His car was hit by the trailer, but fortunately he suffered no injuries, just frayed nerves.

The driver of the tractor trailer was not hurt in the accident either, however, was totally shaken up.

The intersection sees some 50.000 vehicles cross it daily. And yesterday morning's fatal accident caused traffic chaos for hours, which also delayed a number of morning flights at the airport as a large number of early morning travellers were caught in traffic and there was no alternative way to the airport.