The death of Freddy Rincón: what was the accident like, the doubts in the investigation and the pain of his family when communicating the news

The death of Freddy Rincón shocks South American and world football. The former América de Cali player, who knew how to wear the Real Madrid and Napoli jersey, but who made history in the Colombian national team by playing three World Cups, died at the age of 55 after being in critical condition for several days after being the protagonist of a traffic accident.

Last Monday, the city of Cali woke up to some bad news. According to the police report, at 4.30 in the morning, a bus from the Massive Integrated of the West (MIO) and a Ford 4x4 truck, where the former midfielder was mobilizing with a group of friends, collided in the sector known as Las Banderas.

Once the images went viral on social networks, the video shows how the private car where Rincón was traveling crosses the intersection without braking and suddenly the micro that rammed him at high speed appears. Passenger transport was embedded against a traffic light, with the front completely destroyed. For its part, the van where the former footballer and his friends were traveling ended up one block ahead of the highway, on a platform, and with visible damage to the right side.

After the accident, Freddy Rincón was taken to the Imbanaco clinic with a “severe craniocerebral trauma”, according to the medical report confirming that his condition was “very critical.” Beyond the medical report of the former Colombian player, and that of his friends, who were also injured, the police launched an investigation to clarify what caused the hard impact.

According to the first surveys, Rincón would have been in the passenger's seat, the area of the van that suffered the direct impact of the bus. The mayor of Cali, Jorge Iván Ospina, confirmed that the vehicle in which the Colombian football legend was riding did not respect the red light of a traffic light. In that sense, a recklessness on the part of the driver could have been the cause of the accident.

“From one of the security cameras in one of the neighboring buildings you can see the impact, you can see the possible recklessness on the part of the driver, the collision is very strong,” Ospina said. “The van, all the evidence shows us that it crossed the red light... they were also coming fast and that's why this collision of this magnitude,” added the mayor.

According to police sources, it has not yet been revealed who was accompanying Freddy Rincón in the van. However, some local media reports speak of two women and one man. Cali's undersecretary of traffic, Edwin Candelo, reported that the public transport driver was tested for breathalyzer and his result was negative.

Once the death of the former footballer who played three World Cups in 1990, 94 and 98 was confirmed, the director of the clinic spoke in the company of his son Sebastian, who plays in Argentine football for the Barracas Central club, referred to the death.

“We want to express our sincere feelings of condolences, to their families, to their friends, to their relatives and to their followers around the world. There will never be a way to express what it feels like to lose one of our patients. Whoever that patient is. We ask everyone, please, to honor and exalt the life of Freddy Eusebius for all the joys he gave us, for all the times he made us vibrate from every corner of the planet. Thanks to your wonderful display of life and sports, let us honor your life as it deserves. Good night”, were the words that the doctor used to dismiss one of the most relevant sports figures in Colombian history.

While the director of the clinic announced Rincón's death, his son could not hold back his tears in the presence of the media.

Freddy was born in 1966 in Buenaventura and was one of the most prominent players of his country's golden generation in the 1990s. In addition to the goal against Germany, which allowed Pancho Maturana's team to advance to the round of 16 of the World Cup in Italy, it also remained in history by scoring two goals in the remembered 5-0 against Argentina at the Monumental stadium played in 1993.

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