TUCSON – Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents provided vital medical care to multiple patients critically injured in a car collision near mile post 74 on State Route 85 near Lukeville.
At approximately 2:10 p.m., an agent patrolling along SR85 encountered a head-on collision between and SUV and a sedan with a total of eight occupants, some of which were children. Emergency Medical Services were activated as medically trained Border Patrol agents from the Ajo Station immediately responded to the accident scene.
This stretch of SR85, approximately five miles north of the Lukeville Port Of Entry, was shut down by agents due to the severity of the injuries and to create landing zones for medical crews being flown in via helicopter.
Nearly 20 Border Patrol agents, including six certified as Emergency Medical Technicians, provided life-saving treatment as local ambulance crews arrived on scene.
Over the course of nearly an hour, Border Patrol agents and local EMS partners treated multiple injuries and prepared landing zones as four medical evacuation helicopters began to arrive at the scene. Medical evacuation helicopters transported the patients, some of which were children, to several phoenix area hospitals.
Due to the remoteness and rugged landscapes within the Tucson Sector, the Border Patrol is frequently the first agency to respond to emergencies in this region. Tucson Sector currently is staffed with over 200 EMT’s and over 20 paramedics to respond to medical emergencies.
The cause of the accident is unknown and currently under investigation by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
