9 Die in Sweltering Truck, Suspect to be Charged

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A suspect arrested in connection with the deaths of nine people packed into a broiling tractor-trailer awaited a court appearance Monday over his alleged role in the immigrant-smuggling attempt gone wrong. Federal prosecutors said they planned to bring charges against James Mathew Bradley Jr., 60, of Clearwater, Florida. They would not immediately confirm he was the driver of the rig, though local authorities said over the weekend that the driver was arrested. Authorities discovered eight bodies inside the crowded 18-wheeler parked outside a Walmart in the summer heat, and a ninth victim died at the hospital. Officials feared the death toll could rise because nearly 20 others rescued from the truck were in dire condition, many suffering from extreme dehydration and heatstroke. "We're looking at a human-trafficking crime," said San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, calling it "a horrific tragedy." It was not immediately known whether Bradley had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. The victims "were very hot to the touch. So these people were in this trailer without any signs of any type of water," Fire Chief Charles Hood said. Authorities would not say whether the trailer was locked when they arrived, but they said it had no working air conditioning. It was the latest smuggling-by-truck operation to end in tragedy. In one of the worst cases on record in the U.S., 19 immigrants locked inside a stifling rig died in Vi...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Major Incidents News Source Type: news