Pedestrian Fatally Struck on Interstate 40 in Cibola County
Written by Officer Dusty Francisco 3/19/2020
Cibola County, NM - On March 18, 2020 at about 6:29 a.m., the New Mexico State Police investigated a pedestrian that was fatally struck by a vehicle on the on-ramp of Exit 72 off Interstate 40, west of Grants, NM.
The initial investigation indicated a 2006 Toyota was merging onto Interstate 40 westbound from the on-ramp of Exit 72. For reasons still under investigation a pedestrian, Herman Padilla (39) of Albuquerque, NM who was a passenger in a parked Commercial Motor Vehicle on the on-ramp, was struck by the Toyota. Padilla succumbed to fatal injuries and he was pronounced deceased on scene by the Office of the Medical Investigator.
The driver of the Toyota, who will not be named, was not injured. The driver did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol and is not currently facing charges. Seatbelts appear to have been also properly utilized.
This crash remains under investigation by the New Mexico State Police Uniform Bureau, Crash Reconstruction Unit and Drone Team. No additional information is available.
