Horror A-52 road Diogo Jota died on branded 'most dangerous highway' with frequent crashes

The road where Diogo Jota and his brother tragically died in a horror car accident has been branded as one the region's deadliest. The 28-year-old Liverpool striker and his brother Andre Silva, 26, were killed just after midnight on Thursday on the notorious A-52 at Cernadilla, near Zamora in northwestern Spain.

The Lamborghini they were in careered off the road following a tyre blowout during an overtaking manoeuvre, before bursting into flames. The two professional footballers were passing through Zamora to get to Santander, where they had hoped to board a ferry to the UK ahead of Liverpool's pre-season starting next week. It has now emerged that the A-52, also known as the Rias Bajas, is known for being a particularly lethal highway. Built in 1998, it reportedly sees more accidents than any other in the area, with Angel Blanco, the central government representative for the province of Zamora, labelling it "very dangerous".

In 2023 alone, the dual carriageway was the site of 19 accidents. It features high-speed bends and averages 1.5 fatalities per crash.

As reported by Cope, many of these incidents occurred under seemingly safe conditions, such as dry roads, clear visibility, smooth traffic flow and daylight. Yet, the road becomes even more perilous at night due to poor visibility, compounded by its passage through mountainous and forested terrain that frequently experiences dense fog.

The A-52 is used by thousands of vehicles daily and is notorious for its high-speed straights where a single error can prove fatal. Distractions, lack of attention and overconfidence are often the causes of many accidents on this stretch, although it's not confirmed if these factors played any role in the tragic crash involving Jota and his brother.

The area where their car skidded off the road is also infamous for being a wolf hotspot, as reported by La Razon. The Iberian wolves and deer in the area pose a significant risk of severe accidents due to inadequate fencing and deteriorating wildlife crossings, allowing the wild animals easy access to the motorway.

La Voz de Galicia reports that the A-52 is not the only road in the province of Zamora where wolf accidents are common. The animal is also abundant in the corridor between Benavente and Orense via Sanabria (N-525 and A-52).

That's as well as the N-630 between Benavente and Montamarta, the N-631 between Montamarta and Rionegro del Puente, and the N-122 between Zamora and Portugal via Aliste, in addition to other secondary roads.

In recent years, reports have been submitted to the motorists' organisation AEA Club highlighting the dangerous potholes that "riddled" the road surface. According to local news outlet La Opinión de Zamora, Spain's transport ministry received no less than 40 official pothole complaints in just one month last year.

One particular family shared a photograph of a tyre that was completely wrecked by one of the hazards. In 2018, another driver complained about the lack of signage which almost caused them to crash due to an unmarked lane ending.

It's understood that Jota was on his way to Santander to catch a ferry back to the UK on Thursday morning. He had been advised against flying following a recent lung surgery.

The Portuguese footballer missed several matches last season after suffering a rib injury during a game against Chelsea in October.

Emergency services were called to the crash site where the fire had spread to nearby vegetation. Despite extinguishing the flames, the two brothers were declared dead at the scene.

Their funerals are scheduled for 10am on Saturday in their hometown of Gondomar, close to the Portuguese city of Porto.