Freddy Rincon, who died last April 13 at the age of 55 due to a car accident two days before his death, had misused his seat belt, which caused the injuries that ultimately ended his life.
The Colombian authorities, in charge of the investigation, held a press conference in the country's capital, Bogota, and there the forensic expert, Jorge Paredes, assured that the former soccer player was not wearing his seat belt "properly" at the time of the crash into a bus on April 11 in Cali.
"The crash caused an abrupt jolt that caused Rincón a hemorrhage in the brain known as sutural hematoma, which is a lesion in the brain stem, in addition to other traumas and ruptures that led to the player's death," explained Paredes, an expert in Forensic Medicine.
"The brain turned inside the skull", said Paredes, who together with the deputy prosecutor Martha Mancera, the investigators argued that the Colombian World Cup player and former Real Madrid and Napoli player, was wearing the belt on his waist and not across his torso, as indicated by traffic regulations.
Rincón was driving the vehicle
They also maintained that Rincón was driving the car despite the family's allegation that the former player was traveling as co-driver. Before crashing, Rincón ran a red light.
In the videos and photographs taken shortly before the accident, Rincón can be seen in front of the steering wheel, while a young woman identified by the prosecution as Manuela suffered some injuries while riding in the passenger seat, according to Mancera.
Although the vehicle was rammed on the passenger side, Paredes explained that the woman "had her seat belt on very well, so the trauma was minimized". The three rear passengers were unharmed.
Experts delved into the details of the fateful early morning of April 12, when Rincón was at a discotheque, then went to a restaurant, and at 4:15 a.m. was hit by the bus. Authorities have not yet determined whether Rincón was under the influence of alcohol.