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A 21-year-old man has been arrested for vehicular homicide and drunken driving after he allegedly crashed into two cars Monday night near Socorro, killing one woman and sending six others to the hospital.
Reyes Duran, of Socorro, was driving a 2002 Cadillac north in the southbound lanes of Interstate 25 about 10:30 p.m. when he struck a 2003 Honda head-on, according to State Police. He was about seven miles south of Socorro.
The Cadillac came to rest in the middle of the southbound lanes and was struck by a 1996 GMC van.
Bertha Sanchez, 42, of El Paso, was pronounced dead at the scene. She was a passenger in the Honda. Three other passengers were taken to Socorro General Hospital and one was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. Two passengers in the GMC van were taken to El Paso with minor injuries, according to State Police.
Lt. Robert McDonald, spokesman for the State Police, said Wednesday he did not know the conditions of the injured.
Duran was taken to Socorro General Hospital with minor injuries. He was treated and released, then arrested.
Police arrested him for homicide by vehicle, aggravated first DWI (bodily injury as a result), reckless driving and five counts of great bodily injury by vehicle.
Duran’s blood-alcohol content will not be available for two to three weeks, McDonald said, because officials drew his blood rather than performing a Breathalyzer test.
Linda Atkinson of the Albuquerque-based DWI Resource Center said she couldn’t find any prior drunken-driving-related arrests for Duran; neither could a search of New Mexico court records.
— This article appeared on page C2 of the Albuquerque Journal
