Vehicular Accidents On Monday Leave Two Dead In St. Croix

Last updated: Tuesday, 1:22 p.m.

ST. CROIX — Two vehicular accidents here on Monday — one early in the morning and the other at about 7:00 p.m. — have left two victims dead, V.I.P.D. Public Information Officer Glen Dratte has confirmed.

Regarding the first incident, at about 6:15 a.m. on Monday, the 911 emergency call center dispatched the Traffic Investigation Bureau to the Melvin Evans Highway, in the vicinity of the Air National Guard and the Patrick Sweeney Entrance to respond to a report of an accident that had occurred.

Upon arrival to the scene, the body of 29-year-old Roberto Rivera was recovered in his vehicle, which had crashed into a road sign and guard railing. Mr. Rivera was heading west when the accident occurred, according to Mr. Dratte.

Mr. Rivera was transported to the Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 8:58 a.m.

Later Monday at about 6:05 p.m., officers and emergency medical technicians responded to another accident that occurred in Williams Delight, at the southern portion of the community’s main road. According to Mr. Dratte, the driver died after he lost control of his vehicle, a blue Toyota Tacoma that flipped and crashed in a yard, damaging the guard fence and other portions of the home. Three others were injured during the accident.

Upon a Consortium’s reporter arrival on the scene of last night’s accident, EMTs had already left the area, but police vehicles were still on site, blocking the road as a police wrecker mounted the totaled Tacoma and hauled it away. There was another vehicle involved in the accident as well; a silver Dodge Stratus that was also damaged by the Tacoma.

Mr. Dratte said the driver of the Tacoma was speeding, adding that an official report had yet to be released. Police have not released the identity of last night’s victim.

“More information will be provided once I receive the report,” he said.