Fatal Crash in Quay County
Quay County, NM – On September 5, 2021, at about 8:19 a.m. the New Mexico State Police was called to investigate a single vehicle rollover on Interstate 40, near mile post 311, west of Tucumcari.
The initial investigation indicates that a 2008 Chevy Tahoe, driven by a 26-year-old male was traveling east on Interstate 40. For reasons still under investigation the Tahoe left the roadway, struck a guardrail, and rolled. Catalina Blanco Hernandez, 59, of Phoenix, AZ was ejected from the vehicle. She was airlifted to an area hospital where she later died. The driver and a second passenger, a 19-year-old male, both sustained injuries not believed to be life threatening. They were transported by ambulance to an area hospital.
The passenger that was ejected was not properly wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. This crash is under investigation by the New Mexico State Police.