Driver who killed construction worker in highway work zone sentenced

DEMING — Nearly three years have passed since Carl Lee Johnson, a 22-year-old construction worker, was fatally struck by a car at a job site on Interstate 10, a few miles west of Deming.

On Monday, the driver, Raymond Saucedo, 26, was given a suspended sentence of 18 months in prison followed by 18 months of supervised probation for Johnson’s death.

Under an agreement with prosecutors, Saucedo pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident resulting in a death, a fourth-degree felony. Saucedo will also complete safety training similar to what construction workers undergo and then participate in public service announcements promoting safe driving through construction areas.

Briefly addressing the court, Saucedo apologized to Johnson’s family.

On the morning of Sept. 1, 2022, New Mexico State Police arrived at the work zone as first responders attempted to save Johnson’s life. He was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene, according to charging documents. A co-worker said he heard the impact, turned and saw a gray Ford van briefly move to the highway’s shoulder and then resume traveling west.

Prosecutors said Johnson and his co-worker were clearing debris from an earlier crash at the same location.

Police stopped the gray van 22 miles later, which police said showed damage consistent with evidence at the crash scene. Saucedo was alone in the vehicle, traveling home to Lordsburg.

According to a police statement, Saucedo said he had been passing another vehicle at approximately 80 mph in the work zone when he struck what he believed was a construction cone.

Yet evidence of Saucedo’s attempt to brake the vehicle, as presented in court by prosecutor Gerald Byers, suggested Saucedo had perceived the situation before hitting Johnson with such force that the victim’s leg was severed as he was launched hundreds of feet to the spot where he was found by his co-worker.

The initial police statement gave no indication that alcohol or drugs were suspected as factors in the accident. In court on Monday, Byers portrayed risky decisions, high speed and inattention as the explanation.

Amber Johnson, the victim’s mother, commended Saucedo for accepting accountability but implored state District Judge Jennifer DeLaney to deliver a felony conviction, rather than a requested conditional discharge. In a statement, she memorialized her son as “a man who loved helping everyone” before his life was taken while he was at work.

“I could never understand why someone would leave after hitting someone,” Johnson told the court. She also called for greater awareness and tougher laws respecting safety in highway work zones.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 899 people died in work zone crashes nationwide in 2023, with 39,000 injuries. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 59.8% of highway worker fatalities involved workers on foot being struck by vehicles.

Work zone fatalities in New Mexico reached a recent peak in 2021, with 15 deaths and 10 fatal crashes that year. In 2023, the most recent year for which data is available, there were nine work zone fatalities.

“Every life lost in a work zone is one too many, and this tragedy is a stark reminder of the risks our highway workers face every day,” Aaron Chavarria, district engineer for the New Mexico Department of Transportation, said in a statement for the Journal. “We urge all drivers to slow down, pay attention, and follow posted signs when traveling through work zones. These precautions are simple, but they save lives. NMDOT remains committed to work zone safety and will continue raising awareness to protect both our employees and the communities we serve.”

While no one spoke on Saucedo’s behalf at the hearing, DeLaney reviewed multiple letters of support from his family and community members in Lordsburg, where Saucedo volunteers as an athletics coach. Acknowledging that both men’s families were grieving, DeLaney said, “One family is grieving for a child they will never see again.”