A 65-year-old man died this Tuesday after his pickup truck overturned and fell into a ravine approximately 15 meters deep near the Temuco bypass on Route 5 South.
The victim has been identified as Bernardo Gómez Escobar, a resident of Valdivia. The accident occurred just before 1:00 p.m. at kilometer 660 of the highway, traveling northbound, according to reports from biobiochile.cl.
While the exact cause is still under investigation, the driver lost control of the vehicle and veered off the road, ending up at the bottom of the ravine. The incident was reported by motorists passing through the area at the time.
Rescue efforts and medical care
Four fire department units, SAMU ambulances, personnel from the Ruta La Araucanía concession company, and Carabineros patrols responded to the scene. Rescuers worked for several minutes to extricate Gómez Escobar from the wreckage, where he had become trapped.
Once extracted, medical teams stabilized the man and transported him under police escort to the Temuco Regional Hospital. Despite the emergency team's efforts to save him, the electrical engineer passed away shortly after arriving at the medical center.
The Prosecutor's Office has ordered the Carabineros' SIAT (Traffic Accident Investigation Section) to conduct the necessary technical inspections. These investigations will aim to determine the exact cause of the vehicle's departure from its path.
