Diogo Jota was NOT speeding in car crash that killed Liverpool star and his brother, insists lorry driver who filmed first video of aftermath as he disputes police report
A preliminary report said on Tuesday that the car was probably speeding at the time of the crash, which saw the car burst into flames and claim the lives of the two footballers.
Forensics have been analysing the forensics team is analysing the marks left by the car's wheels, with it suggested that a tyre burst. They are trying to determine whether excessive speed caused the crash, police said in a statement.
The video comes just hours after the revelation that a female driver nearly died on the same dangerous highway that the brothers were driving on just days before the fatal accident.
A 60-year-old woman was seriously injured at kilometre 65, on the same road Jota died, last Wednesday at around 11.30am (local time). Her car had come off the road, while driving towards Benavente, leaving the woman trapped. She was later freed by firefighters and taken to hospital, Spanish outlet AS reports.
Jose Azevedo has now recorded a video seemingly filmed from a truck at the angle of a dashboard, promising the family that the car was not travelling above the speed limit when the incident took place.
'I filmed it, stopped, tried to help, but unfortunately, there was nothing I could do,' he said in Portuguese. 'I have a clear conscience.
'I know what I went through that night because I didn't know who was inside. My condolences to the family.
'[The family] have my word that they were not speeding. I could see the make of the car, the colour of the car. I drive this road every day, Monday through Saturday, I know what road it is, and it's worthless.
'It's a dark road, and I could see the make and colour of the car, everything perfectly. Later on, unfortunately, that's how it ended.'
Jota, 28, was travelling in the supercar alongside his younger brother Silva, 26, a around 12.35am (local time).
The tyre of the 200mph Lamborghini Huracan is said to have blown out while overtaking on the A-52 at Cernadilla near Zamora in northwestern Spain, close to the border with Portugal.
The acid green sportscar careered off the road, and rolled before bursting into flames setting alight surrounding greenery. Emergency services rushed to the scene but they unfortunately could not save the brothers.
The brothers were on a road trip to Santander, northern Spain, to catch a ferry to the UK after the Liverpool player and Portuguese international was advised not to travel by plane following lung surgery.
Police preparing a report on last Thursday's fatal accident are yet to say how fast they think Jota's motor was travelling (pictured is the crash site)
Following the Jota's death on the road, a central government representative for the Zamora province, has since branded the A-52 road as 'very dangerous'.
In 2023, there were 19 road accidents on the A-52, with an average of 1.5 deaths per incidents, according to The Mirror.
The stretch of highway is also known to be 'riddled' with 'constant potholes' as locals have also previously complained of the poor signage, according to the AEA club.
Around 40 pothole complaints were made by drivers to Spain's transport ministry in a single month in 2024, La Opinion de Zamora reported.
The region Zamora is also known for its rugged terrain with the A-52 running through mountainous and forested areas. The area also suffers from recurrent fog spells and limited lighting.
In spite of the tricky terrain, the Spanish road is a key route taken by drivers after leaving northern Portugal as they head for the ports of Santander and Bilbao or drive north-east towards France.
But the road is renowned for being an area of 'irresponsible driving', totting up nearly 15,000 speeding fines in 2020, it was reported in La Opinion de Zamora.
Four years ago, a campaign was launched to help control the speeding issue and bring awareness to the zones where people speed or there are frequent accidents.
Spanish police, meanwhile, say they are confident that Jota was at the wheel when his Lamborghini came off the road last week, killing the Liverpool star and his brother.
Spain's Civil Guard said: 'The expert report is still being worked on and finalised.
'Among other things traffic police from the Zamora branch of the Civil Guard are studying the tread marked by one of the wheels of the vehicle.
'Everything is also pointing to a possible high excess of speed over the permitted speed on that stretch of the motorway.
'All the tests carried out for the moment point to the driver of the crash vehicle being Diogo Jota.
'The expert police report when it is finalised will be handed over to a court in Puebla de Sanabria.'
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