Probe of minivan crash is ID headache

Investigators sorting through the wreckage of Monday's minivan crash near Moab have their hands full just figuring out who was involved.

It's a mess.

At one point, when a birth certificate was found at the scene, three people claimed to be its owner, said state Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Wade Breur.

Some of the 16 passengers either used fake or fraudulent names and identification, he said.

The 20-year-old Mexican woman who was killed in the crash was originally reported as a 15-year-old to officers.

Investigators can say for sure that eight of the passengers in the van were Mexican nationals. Seven of the passengers are Guatemalans. One man is of unknown nationality.

The 6:45 a.m. rollover on U.S. 191 occurred after the van's driver overcorrected, apparently after drifting off the road. At least three people were ejected, Breur said, and it appears that no one was wearing a seat belt.

The middle seat had been removed to make more room for 16 people, Breur said.

Three people were taken to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo., two in extremely critical condition. Others have been treated and released from Utah hospitals.

Seven of the 16 passengers were suspected to be undocumented and were taken into custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforce- ment, said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Joe Romel.

Four were from Guatemala, and three from Mexico. The remaining victims remained hospitalized and hadn't yet been interviewed, he said.

Federal authorities were planning to interview the 17-year-old believed to be the driver.

"The passengers have quasi-identified the driver," he said. "What they are saying is this 17-year-old juvenile was the driver, and he was driving in exchange for smuggling fees . . . but was not inaccessibly the smuggler."

Romel declined to release the names of the individuals, citing an ongoing investigation. He said the immigrants would face deportation proceedings.

Breur said the driver, if he isn't deported, could face state charges, including leaving the scene of a crash and improper lane travel.

Romel said authorities had found four of the Guatemalans in possession of fraudulent Mexican identification, but there was no evidence of any American counterfeit documents. All information would be forwarded to the U.S. Attorney's office for possible criminal charges, he said.

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