Hundreds of people gathered for a monster truck show in Popayán in the province of Cauca, Colombia, on May 3, 2026. They wanted excitement and thrills but instead experienced a life-changing tragedy. One of the trucks unexpectedly crashed into a barrier and wound up in the crowd. Dozens of spectators were seriously injured, and three people died. Among the victims were two children. The community will grieve the losses for a very long time as they attempt to recover from the freak accident.
It seems the truck’s brakes failed.
Momento en el que un Monster Truck pierde el control y se va contra el público en Popayán, hasta el momento se reportan 3 víctima fatales, entre ellos una menor de edad, y 37 heridos. pic.twitter.com/pjroGeT6N4
— popayanco (@PopayanCO) May 4, 2026
According to the BBC, the exact cause of the crash remains under investigation, but it appears the driver experienced a brake failure and could not stop. The uncontrollable monster truck came to a stop when it hit a utility pole.
“This is how the Monster Truck ended up after it veered off the track; if it hadn’t been for the post, the tragedy would have been even greater. Justice must come down with all its weight on the organizers and officials who authorized this event, which lacked safety measures,” PopayanCo shared on X.
The crash caused significant injuries.
At least 38 people had injuries from the crash, and three died, according to local media outlet El Espectador. Officials did not release the ages or names of the victims, only that two children and an adult died. Popayán Mayor Juan Carlos Muñoz shared his grief in a video statement translated from Spanish to English. He assured the city that investigators are taking the incident seriously and he will get to the bottom of what happened.
“Today is a deeply painful day for our city, and I reiterate my full solidarity with the victims and their families,” the translation shared.
Chilling video shows a chaotic scene.
Así quedó el Monster Truck que se salió de la pista, de no ser por el poste la tragedia habría sido mayor, la justicia debe caer con todo el su peso sobre los organizadores y funcionarios que autorizaron este evento que no contaba con las medidas de seguridad. pic.twitter.com/vD7I5871tA
— popayanco (@PopayanCO) May 3, 2026
Seeing the crash video prompted people to speak their minds in the comments on X.
“Hey, dumbass hp.. who organized that? A bar for humans containing a monster?” someone asked.
“The driver lost control and sped up that Monster Truck beast even more, the organizers responsible for holding these events without safety measures and in an open area where the protective barrier is the people, they’re going to end up in jail,” another person added.
Others seem to believe the monster truck driver’s name was Sonia, but that’s unconfirmed.
“I hope that on that Sonia and all the organizers, everyone involved, the full weight of the law comes crashing down on them, and that that woman is never allowed to drive so much as a bicycle again,” one comment reads.
“Sonia killed more people than the very same explosive devices that the bandits install; if it weren’t for that damn pole, she’d kill even more people and the mess would be worse,” another person added.
It’s unclear whether anyone will face charges. From the looks of the video, this wasn’t very safe. They’re lucky more people didn’t die.
