A lorry driver who says he saw Diogo Jota’s Lamborghini on fire claims the Liverpool forward was not speeding when he crashed. Spanish police revealed evidence suggests Mr Jota was “driving in excess of the speed limit” when he and brother Andre Silva, also a footballer, were tragically killed last week.
Forensic teams have been analysing the tyre marks left by the vehicle to determine the circumstances of the crash. But Jose Azevedo, a local lorry driver, recorded a video assuring the family the pair were not speeding. “I filmed it, stopped, tried to help, but unfortunately, there was nothing I could do,” he said in Portuguese. “I have a clear conscience.”
“I know what I went through that night because I didn’t know who was inside. My condolences to the family.
“[The family] have my word that they were not speeding. I could see the make of the car, the colour of the car. I drive this road every day, Monday through Saturday, I know what road it is, and it’s worthless”, he added.
“It’s a dark road, and I could see the make and colour of the car, everything perfectly. Later on, unfortunately, that’s how it ended.”
Despite the lorry driver’s certainty that the pair were not driving over the speed limit, Spanish police believe the footballers were speeding.
The Spanish Civil Guard 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.”
At the time of the incident, Jota, 28, was heading to Santander with his brother to catch a ferry to the UK. The Portuguese international had been advised by a doctor not to travel by plane following lung surgery.
The Liverpool squad returned to training for the first time since Jota’s death on Tuesday, having been given a delayed return due to the tragedy. They are scheduled to play a first pre-season match against Preston on Sunday, July 13.
