The San Lorenzo city government ordered the cutting down of the tangerine tree in the Barcequillo neighborhood, where Michael Ariel Florentín Saucedo, 33, was struck and killed on Saturday. The accident occurred at the corner of Nicanor Ríos and Manuel Fernández Pérez streets, when a red Kia car mounted the sidewalk and hit the victim.
According to information gathered, the driver, Brian Giovanni Barboza, 20, lost control of the vehicle after hitting a pothole in the road, which blew out a tire. To avoid colliding with a truck, he swerved and mounted the sidewalk. Attorney José Amarilla stated that Barboza tested negative on a breathalyzer.
The city's decision to cut down the fruit tree, which had been there for many years, outraged residents. Rebeca Barrios, a neighbor in the area, said: “Today we woke up to the surprise that they are cutting down a tree that had been there for many years as a safety measure. The only thing they do is give way to high speed.”
Barrios noted that drivers often travel at high speed and that even a school changed its access to protect students. The pothole was filled after the accident, but residents fear the first rain will wash away the repair.