Police alleged that a 16-year-old girl, who was accused of driving while under the influence of drugs, slammed into vehicles that were stopped on a highway in the southern part of New Mexico. The ensuing pileup left one woman who had stopped to help the occupants of a stalled vehicle dead. The woman was 51 years old and worked in an administrative position at a medical center.
The woman had stopped because she noticed a stalled vehicle in the middle of the highway. The front of the stalled vehicle was facing oncoming traffic, but for some reason, the vehicle’s lights were not on. This incident happened after dark, and police investigating the automobile accident said that the road was not adequately lit.
The woman apparently stopped her lighted vehicle in order to make it more visible to other motorists traveling on the highway. Others who were helping with the stalled vehicle had already been able to move several occupants of the stalled vehicle, including children, to a safe location.
Unfortunately, shortly after the woman got out of her car to help, the teen driver slammed in to the stopped vehicles with her Jeep. Two other vehicles behind the teen driver, one of which was pulling a horse trailer, also were involved in the pileup. Apparently, the horse trailer struck and killed the woman at the scene of the accident.
Police continue to investigate the accident. However, one takeaway from this sad story is that drivers need to pay attention to the road and be on the lookout for emergencies, including stalled vehicles in unexpected places. This is especially true when the road is dark. Of course, being sober helps a driver be more attentive.
The family of this woman likely relied on her income for support and will probably wish to explore their rights to pursue compensation.