Two Eastern New Mexico University college students were unfortunately killed in a recent Quay County one-vehicle rollover accident. According to a representative for the New Mexico State Police, Sergeant Emmanuel Guttierez, a 19-year-old Clovis woman was driving a 2003 Chevrolet sport utility vehicle south on N.M. 469 when she unexpectedly lost control of the vehicle and left the roadway. The SUV apparently rolled at least twice before coming to a stop. Regrettably, a 19-year-old Clayton woman and a 20-year-old Texas woman were ejected from the vehicle. Both died at the scene of the single-vehicle wreck. Additionally, the driver of the SUV was reportedly taken by ambulance to a local hospital with injuries that were not deemed to be life-threatening.
The exact cause of the fatal accident is currently under investigation by New Mexico State Police. Guttierez stated police do not believe alcohol played a role in the tragic wreck. He added that the two college students who died were not utilizing a safety belt at the time of the crash. The driver, however, was apparently wearing a seat-belt.
Sadly, deadly one-vehicle accidents like this one occur on the many interstates and other roadways across New Mexico every year. For example, about 350 motorists and passengers were killed in a New Mexico car accident in 2011. Nearly 70 percent of those deaths resulted from a single-car wreck.
Data collected by the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that about 81 percent of drivers across the nation buckled up in 2006 while almost 90 percent of motorists in New Mexico wore a seat-belt. Still, about half of all individuals killed in a traffic wreck in our state in 2006 were not wearing a seat belt.
Seat belts save lives and everyone who travels in a passenger vehicle in New Mexico is required by law to buckle up. Despite this, New Mexico is a comparative fault accident state. This means an individual who was hurt or certain close family members of someone who was killed in a motor vehicle wreck may be entitled to recover financial compensation for their harm or loss whether or not the person hurt or killed chose to use a seat belt. Because of this, you are advised to speak with a quality attorney after any injury accident.
Please contact the Fine Law Firm if you were hurt or a family member was killed in a single-vehicle or other New Mexico traffic collision. Our caring Santa Fe personal injury lawyers have more than 100 years of combined experience helping the victims of devastating personal injuries. To schedule a free, confidential case evaluation with a committed advocate, give the lawyers at the Fine Law Firm a call today at (505) 889-3463 or contact us through our website.
More Blog Posts:
Honda Recalls Nearly 350,000 Dangerously Designed Minivans in New Mexico and Nationwide, New Mexico Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, November 9, 2013
Three Negligent Malaga Wrecks Claim Several Lives in Less Than One Week, New Mexico Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, October 21, 2013
Additional Resources:
2 ENMU students killed in crash, Albuquerque Journal