Martín Elias, the accident that blinded his life on Good Friday and the truth that came out five years later

Five years ago the Vallenato world was in mourning after the death of Martín Elias Díaz Acosta was known. The accordions went from playing pujas and meringues in their last performance in Coveñas (Sucre), to playing sounds due to his death in a traffic accident.

It was a good Friday, and the accident occurred at 7:40 a.m., but three hours later the first images of the Toyota reference TXL truck that overturned on the roads of Córdoba were known. He came from an intense performance in that municipality, and after performing several songs from his repertoire and others by his father, Diomedes, 'Tin Tín' left at dawn, not before pleasing his followers with photos and autographs.

During the tour, the artist was without a seat belt and changed his clothes, and according to the first investigations, with the vehicle at more than 150 kilometers per hour and in the passenger seat: a big mistake, because the road they were traveling on had a limit of 50 km/h... after the impact he was ejected by the panoramic glass, crashing directly into the asphalt. The driver suffered only minor injuries.

Despite the impact, he was still alive. He was quickly transferred to Clinica Santa María de Sincelejo, but at 12:45 noon, he died. And while tributes were being carried out and his family, friends and followers regretted what happened, the Prosecutor's Office wasted no time and began investigations into the case, which later revealed that on the road that connects Tolú viejo with the area of the accident there were 34 kilometers of imperfection, which led to the fact that the theory of the accident became even more strength.

The imputation and testimony of the accordion player by Martín Elias

The vehicle “was going slowly, at 90 kilometers per hour,” said Rolando Ochoa, who participated as a witness for the Prosecutor's Office and who was driving in another car. During the journey, the van where the singer was going overtook the second and left it on the road. Six minutes later, the accident happened.

On April 10, 2019, criminal proceedings began formally against Armando Quintero, the driver who was carrying Díaz Acosta, but it was not until November 22 of that year that he was charged.

The Prosecutor's Office proved until the last moment that it was a wrongful death while Quintero's defense remained on the theory that the death of the singer vallenato occurred due to medical negligence. Thus, they went to preparatory hearings between March and June of the following year, which were suspended due to differences between the prosecutor in the case and Dayana Jaimes, Díaz's widow. The pandemic was also an excuse for the postponement of the diligence.

“The strength of the technical evidence related to the very high speed at which the vehicle in which Martín Elias lost his life was traveling, is sufficient proof that it was that, and not another, the reason for his death,” said Oscar Sierra, the victim's lawyer, on September 30, 2020, when the oral hearing was held.

The conviction of the driver of Martin Elias

On February 25, 2022, the Fourth Criminal Judge of the Sincelejo Circuit sentenced Armando Quintero Ponce to 32 months of house imprisonment for the death of Martín Elías Díaz Acosta. The judge specified that the accident occurred due to speeding. “The van was going at 157 km/h, when on that road what corresponds is 50 km/h,” Sierra said in a dialogue with El Tiempo. However, the ruling was not well received by Nini Bibiana Sanjuan, the defendant's partner.

“I keep asking myself a question since this event and that is that if my husband had lost his life in this fatal accident, what would have happened?” , the woman posted on her social networks after learning about the conviction against Quintero, who was granted the benefit of the execution of his sentence.

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