A U.S. Border Patrol agent was fatally struck by a vehicle while helping at a traffic accident in the Southern California desert, the agency said Tuesday.
Alejandro Flores-Bañuelos was on Highway 86 in Salton City during “a period of limited visibility” Monday when he was hit by a vehicle passing through the accident site, a statement said.
An Imperial County sheriff’s deputy arrived, provided said and called for medical assistance but Flores-Bañuelos was pronounced dead after an ambulance took him to an area hospital.
Flores-Bañuelos was assigned to the Indio station in the Border Patrol’s El Centro sector. He is survived by a wife and three children.
“It is with a profound sense of loss that we mourn the passing of one of our own, Border Patrol Agent Alejandro Flores,” said El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino. “The men and women of the El Centro Sector will be deeply impacted by this tragic loss.”
The statement said the California Highway Patrol is investigating the accident. Salton City is on the west shore of the Salton Sea.
