AJO – More than 20 Border Patrol agents provided vital medical care to multiple patients critically injured in a car collision Tuesday afternoon on State Route 85 near Ajo, about 90 miles southwest of Phoenix.
An agent on patrol at about 1:40 p.m. encountered a fatal head-on collision between two SUVs. Four surviving passengers were found needing treatment for life-threatening injuries, said a release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The agent requested emergency medical services, which brought Border Patrol agents from the Ajo Station and the Border Patrol’s Search, Trauma and Rescue team to the accident scene.
One paramedic and several emergency medical technicians provided life-saving treatment for the passengers.
Border Patrol agents treated the victims, conducted traffic control, closed a stretch of SR85, and prepared a landing zone for four medevac helicopters.
Life Flight transported the patients to a regional children’s hospital and a separate medical center.
The cause of the accident is currently under investigation by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Due to the remoteness of many locations within the Tucson Sector, the Border Patrol agents are often the first responders to emergencies.
The Tucson Sector provides rapid medical response with 22 certified paramedics and an additional 232 agents trained as EMTs.