Illegal immigrant charged in high-speed crash killing motorcyclist in South Carolina

An illegal immigrant is now in police custody following a high-speed crash involving a motorcycle, school bus and work van that resulted in a fatality.

The collision occurred last week at the 100…

An illegal immigrant is now in police custody following a high-speed crash involving a motorcycle, school bus and work van that resulted in a fatality.

The collision occurred last week at the 100 block of Industrial Drive in Lexington, South Carolina.

Local police identified the driver who struck the motorcycle and school bus as 20-year-old Giovanni Mendoza-Jimenez, a Mexican citizen unlawfully in the United States. He was arrested and charged with driving without a license, driving too fast for conditions and failure to stop for a school bus.

Authorities are also investigating whether Mendoza-Jimenez was distracted by a phone at the time of the crash, with the possibility of additional charges being filed, according to WIS10.

Mendoza-Jimenez reportedly struck the motorcycle with his vehicle, pinning the rider against the bus, which was stopped to pick up a student.

The motorcyclist, Jon Douglas Ratcliffe, 45, of Lexington, was pronounced dead at the scene.

One student on the bus sustained a minor cut on the arm and was transported to a local hospital by EMS for treatment. 

Mendoza-Jimenez also suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital before being released and then held at the Lexington County jail. He will eventually be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to WIS10.  

Columbia attorney Taylor Bell told a local station that safety and training is one concern with illegal immigrants driving without a license. 

“With illegal immigration, you’ve got individuals that are driving without licenses,” Bell said, according to Watch Fox 57. “The lack of that training putting our children and others at risk in this county and our state.”  

In December, an illegal immigrant in Missouri crashed into a vehicle carrying a family of three while driving 40 miles over the speed limit, in the opposite lane. 

Travis Wolfe, a 12-year-old in vehicle, succumbed to his injuries in March, while his parents suffered broken bones, among other injuries. 

“The tragic loss of 12-year-old Travis Wolfe is yet another painful reminder of the devastating consequences of lax border enforcement,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey wrote following the incident. “It’s heartbreaking to see innocent lives lost because of the failure of our government to secure our borders effectively.”  

Police charged Endrina Bracho with first-degree involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, first-degree child endangerment and driving without a license, according to NBC 15 News. 

Bracho’s two children were in the car with her and also suffered serious injuries. 

As many as 7,500 Americans – 20 per day – are killed annually by unlicensed drivers, according to Fox News. More than half of those deaths are caused by illegal immigrants.