Student and illegal driver raise traffic death toll

Parents, students and teachers of Professional and Technical Institute (ITP) of Capira protested on the Pan-American highway, on Thursday, July 19 after newly enrolled student Valentín Rivas, 12, was killed by a school bus in front of the campus.

The protesters called for greater security and asked the authorities to place signs and speed bumps on the road in front of the school.

Meanwhile, witnesses to the accident reported that the emergency departments took over an hour to arrive at the scene.

A couple of hours later on the Arraiján-La Chorrera highway, near the community of Cerro Silvestre, José Carlos Pitty, 24, a dump truck driver died when one of the front tires exploded and he lost control of the vehicle, loaded with 29 tons of rock. By law, a dump truck driver must be 25.