Mary L. Stuart, 66, of Artesia, was pronounced dead at the scene Wednesday afternoon, when the 2007 Hyundai Sonata she was driving was rear-ended by a water truck in a construction zone just outside Artesia, the New Mexico Department of Public Safety said in a news release.

According to the DPS, a 1997 Mack truck belonging to Jim's Water Service of Artesia driven by 27-year-old James Crenshaw of Roswell was westbound on U.S. 82 in a marked construction zone when it rear-ended the Hyundai and began a chain reaction crash that involved three other vehicles.

The other vehicles were a 2001 Mack tanker truck driven by 39-year-old Roger Simmons of Roswell; a 2002 Freightliner tanker truck belonging to H&E Equipment Services driven by 44-year-old Edward Montoya of Los Lunas; and a 2005 GMC pickup driven by 48-year-old Jerry Mathews of Artesia, the release said.

Crenshaw, the driver of the water truck, was airlifted to University Medical Center in Lubbock where he was treated for injuries, while Simmons was taken to the Artesia Medical Center for evaluation, according to the DPS.

Montoya and Mathews were not injured in the crash, the DPS reported.

According to the DPS, Crenshaw failed to recognize that traffic was stopped for road construction, and police are investigating excessive speed and driver inattention as contributing factors in the crash.

Alcohol was not a contributing factor, the release said. 

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