Presidential caravan killed to sportsman in a collision

Gilberto Rivas accumulated medals in races of swimming of long distance (Courtesy)

After two months of to have passed away of tragic way Gilberto Rivas, world-wide champion swimming masters, in an automobile accident his father decided to exhaust all the instances to clarify that the people in charge of the decease were the crew of the caravan of president Hugo Chavez.

Mr. Gilberto Rivas, father of the Gilberto athlete Jose Rivas Rodriguez, told that to the 4:30 of afternoon of the 22 of March his son returned to Caracas after to have participated in the second passage to I swim of the Apure river. In that competition it was champion and as prize gained thousand bolivars strong. Just when one moved by kilometer three of the Cork of Jail, in the Guárico state he was hit by the third vehicle of the presidential caravan.

“I was very stunned. They said to me that my son was mistaken and that hurt much to me. Until it gave an preinfarct me that maintained to me in rest by several weeks. Now that gave the experticia to me of the shock, this one says that my son walked drunk and he was an athlete who neither smoked nor drank nothing. He was one of the best Venezuelan athletes. Those that was mistaken were they”.

Mr. Rivas maintains that he does not wish money but to wash the memory of his son who has been enlodada. “They ran with all the expenses. Governor William Lara put to me to sign all the papers and he was in charge of everything. The Department of the Interior ran with all the expenses. They engaged a particular undertaker. We had not arrived at Caracas and in morgue of Beautiful Mount they were already waiting for the corpse of my son”.

He referred that Lara governor said to him that did not speak anything in the press to avoid that they turned the case into something political. “If my son were mistaken why that disinterested aid”, he asked himself.

The athlete of 33 years, profession architect, manned a Fiat Pallium of gray Color which was hit in the pilot's seat and sent to the bottom of a precipice. The sergeant of the National Guard, Andres Herrera, that drived the light truck involved in the wreck does not appear registered in the report of Terrestrial Transit. Their data were not taken him either because it followed his march.

“They robbed his cellular and thousand bolivars to Him that had gained. Much people say to me that I have left shut up because that people are dangerous and must be able, but my son does not deserve that. Now it called to William Lara and it bars the telephone to me”, said.

It indicated Rivas that are witnesses of the accident which they can give faith of the happened thing.

Gilberto, architect and student of Geophysical, was gold medal in 400 and 800 meters free waters abiertas in the World-wide Masters of 2004 in Italy; and Third place in the crossing of the Orinoco river in 2007.

grodriguez@eluniversal.com