The short version
- Metro Puerto Rico reported the crash occurred around 4:18 p.m. Sunday on the Teodoro Moscoso bridge when a speeding Mercedes-Benz made an improper lane change and hit a Toyota Yaris
- Primera Hora identified the Mercedes driver as Ismael E. Díaz Dávila and the Toyota driver as Damaris López Ortiz; two people were trapped in the vehicles and taken to Centro Médico de Río Piedras while a third was stable
- El Nuevo Día said firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded and traffic was diverted until nearly 5:00 p.m.; the Uniformed Police Transit unit is investigating
- Police said the Mercedes driver’s breath-alcohol test returned 0.13 percent; Agent César Méndez and prosecutor Naomi Ruiz are handling the case
Details of the collision
Police are investigating a serious traffic accident that occurred around 4:18 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1 on the Teodoro Moscoso bridge in San Juan. Metro Puerto Rico reported that the driver of a Mercedes-Benz was traveling above the legal speed limit and made an improper lane change, striking a Toyota Yaris driven by a woman. Two people became trapped inside the vehicles and had to be extricated before being transported to Centro Médico de Río Piedras. Their medical condition was not known at the time of the reports. A third person involved was reported in stable condition.
According to Primera Hora, the Mercedes-Benz model was a 2025 GT 63 S E Performance. The driver, identified as Ismael E. Díaz Dávila, registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.133 percent. The Toyota driver was identified as Damaris López Ortiz. Agent César Méndez of the San Juan Highway Patrol Division and prosecutor Naomi Ruiz are in charge of the investigation.
Also on PuertoRico.com: Carolina travel guide
Emergency response
El Nuevo Día reported that state and municipal firefighters from Carolina, along with emergency medical services, responded to the scene. At least one of the vehicles involved was a Toyota Yaris. Traffic on the bridge was diverted until close to 5:00 p.m. The sergeant Omar Marrero, auxiliary director of the police press office, confirmed that two trapped individuals were taken to the medical center while the third remained stable.
Earlier information from NotiCel, citing the Municipal Emergency Management Office, indicated that rescue personnel were dispatched to free a woman trapped in one of the vehicles, but later police reports provided additional details on the number of people affected and their transport to hospital.
Where the sources differ
All sources agree the accident occurred Sunday afternoon on the Teodoro Moscoso bridge in San Juan, involved a Mercedes-Benz striking a Toyota Yaris, left people trapped in the vehicles, and resulted in at least two transports to Centro Médico de Río Piedras. Metro Puerto Rico, Primera Hora and El Nuevo Día report three people total affected with one in stable condition; NotiCel’s initial report said authorities had not specified the number of injured or whether any were hospitalized. Primera Hora is the only source to name the drivers (Ismael E. Díaz Dávila and Damaris López Ortiz) and give the exact Mercedes model and 0.133 percent reading. El Nuevo Día attributes confirmation of the stable patient to Sgt. Omar Marrero. All name Agent César Méndez and prosecutor Naomi Ruiz as leading the investigation except NotiCel, which focused on the initial emergency response.
What the reports do not say
The reports do not state the current medical condition or exact injuries of the two people transported to Centro Médico de Río Piedras. They also do not indicate whether charges have been filed against the Mercedes-Benz driver, the final outcome of the traffic investigation, or when the bridge was fully reopened to traffic. Long-term traffic impact or any citations issued to either driver beyond the alcohol test are not addressed.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Reporting Policía investiga accidente grave en el puente Teodoro Moscoso
- Reporting Exceso de velocidad provoca choque que dejó personas pilladas en el Teodoro Moscoso
- Reporting Tres personas quedan pilladas en vehículos tras accidente en el puente Teodoro Moscoso
- Reporting Accidente grave entre dos vehículos en el Puente Teodoro Moscoso
How we checked this
Metro Puerto Rico, Primera Hora and El Nuevo Día provided the most detailed accounts of the Teodoro Moscoso bridge crash, including the alcohol-test result and names of the investigating officials. NotiCel’s earlier story reflected preliminary information from the Municipal Emergency Management Office that was later superseded by police details. The separate ATV accident in Bayamón mentioned by Metro Puerto Rico was not covered by the other outlets.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.
Nils Huenerfuerst / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0PuertoRico.com is free, and readers like you keep it that way.
The PuertoRico.com newsroom checks every story against its sources and publishes it free. If this one helped, a contribution of any size keeps the next one free too.
Secure checkout by Stripe: card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Link.
One payment, nothing to sign up for.
Contributions go to Puerto Rico.com, LLC. They are not charitable donations and are not tax-deductible. Payments are processed by Stripe.
Thank you for keeping PuertoRico.com free.
Your contribution went through. It helps pay for the next story.
Contributions go to Puerto Rico.com, LLC. They are not charitable donations and are not tax-deductible. Payments are processed by Stripe.
