Couple dies in crash near Santa Rosa

SANTA ROSA — An Oklahoma couple died in a head-on crash with a tractor-trailer July 25 on Interstate 40 in Guadalupe County, according to New Mexico State Police.

The collision occurred at about 8:40 a.m. east of Santa Rosa.

State Police reported that the initial investigation showed that a 2017 Freightliner was going west on Interstate 40 when, for reasons still being investigated, the rig crossed the I-40 median and struck an eastbound Nissan Sentra head-on.

The driver of the Nissan, Stephen Barnes, 67, and passenger Susan Barnes, 69, both of Tulsa, sustained fatal injuries in the crash and were pronounced dead at the scene by the Office of the Medical Investigator.

The driver of the Freightliner, a 25-year-old man, and a passenger, a 40-year-old man, were transported by emergency personnel to an area hospital for injuries believed to be not life-threatening.

Alcohol does not appear to be a factor, and seatbelts appear to have been properly utilized, State Police said.

The New Mexico State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit assisted with the investigation. The crash investigation remains active and ongoing, state police said.