Photo: Brax - Valley Publishing

Photo: Brax - Valley Publishing

Photo: Brax - Valley Publishing

Photo: Brax - Valley Publishing

Photo: Brax - Valley Publishing

It must have been frightfully riveting five seconds. From the brakes slamming, the tires smoking from the friction and the sounds of an impeding disaster.

At around 3:00 P.M. on Monday afternoon, a tractor-trailer loaded top and bottom with cars was heading west on Artcraft when it approached the intersection at Westside Drive. There was a flashing sign indicating that there was an intersection ahead; but that had already been past.

The light at Westside was green... and the driver may have given the throttle a bit more gas. Now the tractor-trailer was gaining speed coming down the incline which raises over the Borderland Spur Drain. Then everything changed.

What happened next is a mystery.

Gabe Neal, 33, the driver indicated that he was driving at 55 M.P.H. and he hit the brakes as the lights turned yellow.

Neal indicated that the trailer began to slide as the wheels locked.

He then saw that traffic South bound on Westside Drive entered the intersection and he had to turn left to avoid them. Luckily the East bound lanes of Artcraft were empty and as he divided the medians, the trailer was heading for a cotton field.

He turned a hard right to try to steer the trailer onto the East bound lanes of Artcraft. The tractor made it. The trailer turned over on its side dumping an assortment of cars.

El Paso Police Department and U.S. Customs personnel were on the scene taking pictures and trying to ascertain what happened.

Those on the scene were talking about the yellow light at the intersection lasting around three seconds. Also, it was verified that there is a one second delay for the green light to turn on Westside after the red light occurred for Artcraft traffic.

Tire marks were much closer to Westside than would be indicated if the tractor-trailer had hit the brakes when the lights turned Yellow.

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Editor, Upper Valley Beacon

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