A truck driver who witnessed the car crash that killed Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, Andre Silva, has claimed that the police are wrong to blame the accident on speeding.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, the driver, Jose Azevedo, recorded a video of the burning Lamborghini moments after the crash. He said the car was not going above the speed limit and that the poor condition of the road may have been the real cause.
“I stopped and tried to help, but there was nothing I could do,” Azevedo said in Portuguese. “I drive on that road every day. It’s dark and dangerous, and full of potholes. They were not speeding. I saw the car clearly.”
The police had earlier released a preliminary report suggesting that the car was speeding when the crash happened. They said the Lamborghini’s tyre may have burst while overtaking another vehicle on the A-52 highway near Zamora, Spain.
Jota and his brother were travelling to Santander to catch a ferry to the UK. The Liverpool forward had been advised not to fly after recent lung surgery.
The green Lamborghini reportedly ran off the road, flipped over, and caught fire. Emergency responders arrived, but both brothers died at the scene.
The same road has seen several serious accidents. Just hours before the crash, a 60-year-old woman was injured in a separate accident nearby. Locals have also complained about the highway, describing it as poorly lit and full of potholes. In 2020, it recorded almost 15,000 speeding violations.
Despite the police claims, Azevedo insists the road, not reckless driving, caused the crash.
“The road is the problem. People shouldn’t be quick to blame the victims,” he said.
The family of Diogo Jota has not yet commented on the new claims.
