73-year-old man struck by El Paso city truck clings to life; driver faulted but not charged

A 73-year-old man remained hospitalized Friday with life-threatening injuries one day after being struck by a city-owned vehicle in the Lower Valley in what was at least the ninth pedestrian accident this month and the third in just week.

Police on Friday identified the victim as Miguel Pantoja Carrillo. Investigators said he was crossing Alameda Avenue at Harris Street in the crosswalk with a green light when he was struck by a City of El Paso Environmental Services pickup truck around 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

Authorities also said Friday that the city employee driving the pickup, 29-year-old Jaime Jacquez, was making a turn at the time of the accident and “failed to yield the right of way to the pedestrian at the crosswalk.”

However, police did not indicate they had issued any citations in the incident and said it remained under investigation. To date, there have been no announcements of any charges filed against drivers striking pedestrians — despite a flurry of incidents over the past month or so.

Thursday’s incident involving a city truck, ironically, happened while the El Paso Police Department and the Texas Department of Transportation were hosting an event to kick off a pedestrian safety campaign.

This week’s other pedestrian incidents were both fatalities. They included a 13-year-old boy killed Monday night after being struck in northeast El Paso, and a 67-year-old woman who was struck and killed in the Lower Valley on Tuesday.

KVIA 2019