San Diego

Calexico Woman Sentenced for Smuggling Crash That Killed 2 Near Andrade

The car crash carrying five undocumented immigrants left two dead, one paralyzed and another brain dead.

A Calexico woman was sentenced Monday to eight years of prison for smuggling immigrants in a Border Patrol pursuit that ended in a crash, killing two of her customers.

Lydiana Castro, age 31, pleaded guilty to one count of transporting certain immigrants and aiding and abetting in July 2016, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. She faced a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Castro picked up five illegal immigrants at a gas station, in an area known as "Pilot's Knob," a mountainous area near Andrade, said the U.S. Attorney's Office. It happened on Mar. 23, 2016.

About five minutes later, U.S. Border Patrol agents saw Castro picking up the undocumented immigrants and took off in pursuit with sirens blaring.

When she noticed the agents following her, Castro started to slow down but then seemed to change her mind -- suddenly speeding off. In her plea agreement, she admitted to seeing Border Patrol and continuing anyway, said the U.S. Attorney's office.

As she accelerated off Andrade Road freeway, Castro's vehicle fishtailed, skidding toward Interstate 8 and careening down an embankment.

Then Castro drove onto the westbound lane of I-8 and struck a passing semi-truck. Her vehicle was dragged along with the semi-truck, until it came to a stop on the side of the freeway.

Once first responders arrived at the scene, they found one man hanging through the rear window and four other men with varying levels of trauma. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene, said the U.S. Attorney's office.

The other remaining passengers were taken to a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.

Of the three survivors, one was pronounced brain dead and taken back to Mexico on life support at the family's request. Another was paralyzed in his legs and the third will live with challenging injuries, said the U.S. Attorney's office.

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