🚨 TRAGEDY ON THE PANAMERICANA: She Left Home to Provide for Her Kids… and Died on Her SECOND Day of Work! 😢

Jessica Colachagua Toledo, a devoted mother of two, stepped out full of hope for a stable job at EMAPE to support her children’s education. It was only her second day maintaining roads on Lima’s deadly Panamericana Sur at kilometer 17. Then, in the dead of night, a high-speed multi-vehicle crash changed everything forever.

Her husband is left raising their 13- and 6-year-old alone, begging for justice and help.

How many more families must suffer from informal labor and reckless driving? This heartbreaking story will leave you in tears… 👀

Click now to read the full devastating details—you won’t believe the pain behind this tragedy!

A tragic multi-vehicle collision on the Panamericana Sur highway in southern Lima has claimed the lives of two municipal workers, including a young mother who had only begun her job two days earlier. The accident, which occurred in the early morning hours of January 15, 2026, at kilometer 17 near the Brisas de Villa bridge between San Juan de Miraflores and Villa El Salvador, has spotlighted ongoing safety concerns on one of Peru’s busiest and most hazardous roads, as well as the vulnerabilities faced by informal and temporary laborers in public infrastructure projects.

The victims were identified as Jessica Geraldine Colachagua Toledo, 32, and Wilfredo Severo Rosales Mallma, 59, both employees of the Empresa Municipal de Apoyo a Proyectos Estratégicos (EMAPE), the Lima Metropolitan Municipality’s agency responsible for road maintenance and strategic project support. According to reports from Infobae, Exitosa Noticias, and official statements from EMAPE and the Municipalidad Metropolitana de Lima (MML), the incident unfolded around 3:45 a.m. when a trailer truck bearing license plate AZW-999 struck at high speed into vehicles providing containment and protection for an EMAPE work crew performing routine cleaning and maintenance on the roadway.

The crash involved at least five vehicles, including the trailer carrying poultry, a personnel transport van, and a municipal unit. The impact scattered debris across the highway, blocking lanes in both directions for more than five hours and requiring extensive rescue efforts by firefighters, police, and emergency medical teams. Colachagua Toledo was severely injured and rushed to the Hospital María Auxiliadora, where she succumbed to her injuries hours later. Rosales Mallma died at the scene. At least eight other workers sustained injuries ranging from fractures and trauma to complex lesions, with several remaining hospitalized.

Jessica Colachagua Toledo’s story has resonated deeply across Peru. Her husband, Christian Vásquez, spoke emotionally to Exitosa radio and other outlets, explaining that she had secured the EMAPE position just days before to cover school expenses for their two children, ages 13 and 6. “She started on Monday, went back Tuesday, and on Wednesday the tragedy happened,” Vásquez recounted, visibly distraught. He described her as a dedicated mother who left home that night hopeful for a better future for her family. The family now faces not only profound grief but financial uncertainty, with Vásquez calling for justice, support, and accountability. Social media campaigns and local reports have highlighted calls for donations and assistance for the orphaned children.

The accident has drawn criticism regarding working conditions for EMAPE crews. Reports from Punto Final and other sources point to the “informalidad fatal” – fatal informality – surrounding the victims: temporary contracts lacking full labor protections, including comprehensive insurance or enhanced safety measures on high-risk highways. EMAPE workers often operate at night to minimize traffic disruption, but the Panamericana Sur’s heavy truck traffic, speeding issues, and inadequate signage or barriers have long been flagged as dangers by road safety advocates. The trailer driver’s actions are under investigation, with some reports suggesting reckless driving as a contributing factor.

In response, EMAPE activated immediate protocols for legal and emotional support to the affected families. The agency issued a statement confirming the provision of assistance and cooperation with authorities. The Metropolitan Municipality of Lima declared official mourning and held a posthumous tribute to the fallen workers during city anniversary events. Mayor Rafael López Aliaga’s administration emphasized swift action to review safety protocols for field personnel, though critics argue such incidents reflect systemic neglect of labor rights in municipal contracts.

The Panamericana Sur, a vital artery connecting Lima to southern Peru, has a notorious history of fatal crashes due to high volumes of commercial vehicles, poor road conditions in stretches, and driver fatigue. This latest tragedy adds to statistics showing hundreds of annual fatalities on Peruvian highways, many involving workers in vulnerable positions. Labor unions and rights groups have renewed demands for stricter enforcement of occupational safety standards, better signage, reflective gear, and guaranteed insurance for all public works employees.

For Colachagua Toledo’s loved ones, the loss is personal and irreversible. Tributes on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram describe her as a loving mother whose brief employment ended in unimaginable sorrow. Her husband’s plea for support underscores the broader human cost: families left without breadwinners in a country where informal employment remains widespread.

As investigations continue into the trailer’s role and potential negligence, the case serves as a somber reminder of the perils faced by those maintaining Peru’s infrastructure. Authorities have promised a thorough probe, but for Jessica Colachagua Toledo’s children and countless others in similar situations, the questions of prevention and protection remain painfully unanswered.