Police tape blocked off Dixie Highway after one man was killed and multiple people were injured after an SUV collided with a TARC bus on Thursday evening. March 17, 2022 Jf Tarc 4l5a0415
San Diego, California – Elizabeth Ugarte Rios, 38, of Vista was sentenced Thursday to 41 months in federal prison after a reckless smuggling operation left a 71-year-old cyclist critically injured. The sentencing, held in federal court, capped a tragic case that underscores the dangers of illegal transport activities along the U.S.-Mexico border.
On August 4, 2024, Rios drove with her minor daughter to Otay Lakes County Park in Chula Vista, where she picked up a group of undocumented immigrants who had crossed the border by scaling a fence. As she left the park with her passengers, a Border Patrol agent in an unmarked vehicle began following her.
Moments later, on Wueste Road, a rural two-lane highway, Rios attempted to pass another vehicle by swerving across the double-yellow line. She traveled 67 miles per hour—nearly double the posted speed limit. Just four seconds before the crash, Rios hit the brakes, but it was too late. She struck 71-year-old cyclist Robert Hilborn at approximately 30 miles per hour.
A witness reported that Hilborn was thrown about 10 feet into the air before landing on the side of the road. The crash left him with life-threatening injuries. He was hospitalized for 68 days, during which he suffered multiple strokes, required a ventilator, and sustained deep lacerations and severe orthopedic injuries.
Hilborn, an avid cyclist who used to ride up to 100 miles per week, was in court for the sentencing, accompanied by his wife Sharon and their two adult sons. In an emotional victim impact statement, Sharon Hilborn described the physical and emotional toll the crash has taken on their family.
“Our lives used to be filled with joy, activity, and independence,” she told the court. “Now they’re filled with doctor visits, pain, and uncertainty.” Her words moved many in the courtroom to tears.
Federal prosecutors highlighted Rios’s disregard for public safety, noting that she not only endangered her passengers but also her daughter and innocent people on the road.
“This case is a tragic reminder of the real human cost of dangerous smuggling operations,” a U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesperson said following the sentencing.
