Written by Officer Ray Wilson 05/05/2022
Otero County, NM – On May 4, 2022, at around 3:00 p.m., the New Mexico State Police responded to a fatal crash on U.S. Highway 54 near milepost 100 in between Tularosa and Carrizozo.
The initial investigation indicated that a Subaru passenger car, driven by D. Nigel Thompson, 25, of Crestview, Florida, was traveling north on U.S. 54 behind a Volkswagen passenger car. Thompson tried to pass the Volkswagen and crashed head-on into a Kenworth tractor-trailer that was southbound on U.S. 54. Thompson sustained fatal injuries in the crash and was pronounced deceased on the scene by the Office of the Medical Investigator. The drivers of the Kenworth and Volkswagen were uninjured.
Thompson does not appear to have been wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash, and alcohol does not appear to be a contributing factor. This crash is under investigation by the New Mexico State Police.