Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, tragically lost their lives last Thursday while driving along the A-52 motorway in northwestern Spain during the early morning hours. ..Continue Reading
The footballer’s bright green Lamborghini Huracán reportedly suffered a tyre blowout, causing the vehicle to swerve off the road and erupt into flames.
An initial report from Spain’s Guardia Civil suggested that Jota was likely behind the wheel and that excessive speed may have contributed to the crash.
José Azevedo, a truck driver from Portugal, was traveling on the same stretch of road when he came upon the burning vehicle with both brothers still inside.
Azevedo, who captured video footage of the fiery wreckage, said he attempted to extinguish the flames and firmly believes the car was not exceeding the 120 km/h (75 mph) speed limit.
‘The truck driver, which was me, filmed it, stopped, grabbed the fire extinguisher and tried to help. I tried to help but due to the impact of the accident, there was nothing I could do, absolutely nothing,’ Azevedo said in a video.
‘They passed me completely calmly and were not speeding. You have my word they weren’t speeding. They were completely relaxed.
‘I drive this road Monday through Saturday and I know it’s a terrible place. It’s a dark road. I could see the make and colour of the car.
‘I offer my sincere condolences. I have a clear conscience, I know what I saw. Unfortunately, that’s how it ended. I stopped filming, tried to help, but unfortunately, there was nothing I could do.’
Spain’s Guardia Civil 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.’
Jota had been en route to the northern Spanish port city of Santander to catch a ferry back to England ahead of rejoining Liverpool for the start of pre-season training.
The 28-year-old, who had recently celebrated winning the Premier League title with Liverpool and married his longtime partner Rute Cardoso just 11 days before the crash, had reportedly been advised against flying due to a recent lung procedure.
Both Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, were laid to rest last Saturday in their hometown of Gondomar, near Porto.
