Three die in accidents Monday
Published: Thursday, June 24th, 2004
A fatal crash just outside Tucumcari left two dead and had four others of the same Tulsa, Okla. family airlifted to Amarillo’s North West Texas Memorial Hospital early Saturday morning. A second accident left one dead and had another airlifted to Amarillo.
According to the New Mexico State Patrol, at 4:51 a.m. Saturday a one-car, roll-over accident occurred taking the life of Joy Harjo, 13 and Laura Belle Taylor, 74. Harjo was pronounced dead at the scene and Taylor was pronounced dead two hours later. According to New Mexico State Police Lieutenant Nathan Wallace who released the information about the accident, The accident happened on U.S. Interstate 40 at milepost 326 and involved a 1995 Oldsmobile mini-van. Wallace said the mini-van was traveling east on U.S. Interstate 40 when the driver of the vehicle apparently fell asleep. He said evidence found on the north dirt shoulder indicated that the vehicle left the roadway, facing in a northeasterly direction and made contact with a delineator pole.
At this time Wallace reported that the driver of the vehicle apparently woke up and corrected the vehicle back towards the roadway, and entered the roadway facing in a southeasterly direction. “Skid marks found on the roadway indicate that the vehicle over-corrected to the left causing the vehicle to face in a northeasterly direction and move into a broad side slide. The vehicle then rolled onto the passenger’s side and began to slide in a northeasterly direction while facing in a northwesterly direction.”
Wallace reported that evidence found on the center, dirt median indicated that the right front tire made contact with the center, dirt median, causing the vehicle to roll in a clockwise direction. As the vehicle began to roll, five of the seven passengers were ejected from the vehicle. The vehicle made one complete rotation before coming to a rest on its wheels facing in a southwesterly direction.
Treated at Dan C. Trigg Memorial Hospital and then airlifted to North West Texas Memorial Hospital were the driver Talesse Lynette Sigilai, 51, and passengers Hope Harjo, 11, Faith Harjo, 16, Patience Harjo, 9, and Beverly Harjo, 45.
Monday.
In a separate incident at noon Monday, Jessica Lynfield Werner, 40, of New Orleans, died after she lost control of her 2000 Nissan pickup, causing the vehicle to roll onto its roof about 10 miles west of Tucumcari. Werner lost control of her car due to tread peeling off the right rear tire, according to the release. Jack T. Werner, 4, was airlifted to North West Texas hospital, according to the release. Emma N. Werner, 11, was treated and released from Trigg Hospital in Tucumcari. North West Texas hospital officials said late Monday evening Jack was not in the hospital and may have been released, but they couldn’t be certain.
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