Battered survivors tell of Mexico truck crash that killed 55

By MANUEL DE LA CRUZ and EDGAR H. CLEMENTE
Associated Press

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico (AP) — Simply counting up the human cost of the horrifying truck crash that killed 55 migrants and injured over 100 is chilling, even for those who survived the disaster on a highway in southern Mexico. About 40 of the survivors are listed with “multiple contusions” at local hospitals, and they are the least injured. Nearly 20 others have fractured bones, often their arms and wrists, suggesting they tried to break the force of the impact when the semi-trailer packed with smuggled migrants tipped over and smashed into a pedestrian bridge. The worst are those with brain injuries or severe internal damage, often crushed chests, abdomens or pelvises. The force of the crash slammed migrants against each other, bashed them into the steel sides of the trailer and threw some onto the roadway.