At least four people died in traffic accidents registered between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon in the provinces of West Panama, Chiriquí, and Colón, a day marked by road violence across the country.
West Panama was the site of two of the tragedies. The most recent case occurred on Sunday afternoon on the Inter-American Highway, in San Carlos, where a pickup truck crashed into a bridge railing after losing control and crossing into the opposite lane. The impact killed one occupant, who was ejected from the vehicle, while three others were injured and taken to the Dr. Juan Vega Méndez polyclinic by a CSS ambulance from the 911 SUME. The driver was apprehended and handed over to the Public Ministry.
In Chiriquí, a man aged 30 to 35 died after jumping from the cab of a semi-truck on the Inter-American Highway near the Chiriquí River bridge. The vehicle had collided with the central median, and authorities are investigating whether the victim was run over by the truck itself or died from impact with the structure upon falling.
The fourth victim was baseball player Fernan Enrique Zúñiga Ábrego, 30, who died around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday at kilometer 33 of the Panama-Colón highway after a triple collision between his gray sedan and two white pickup trucks driven by men aged 35 and 60. The strong impact caused his vehicle to roll over several times and become destroyed at the front, causing his death.
Traffic authorities and the Public Ministry are continuing their investigations to determine responsibility in each incident amid concerns about the increase in traffic accidents in Panama.
