CARLSBAD -- An El Paso man was killed early Monday morning when he was hit head-on in a construction zone on U.S. Highway 62/180 south of Carlsbad, according to New Mexico State police.
Officials said Jose Hernandez, 66, of El Paso, Texas, was driving a Chevy pickup northbound on the highway when he collided head-on with Carlos Castaneda, 20, a resident of Fort Hancock Texas. Castaneda was driving a Volkswagen southbound when he crossed over the centerline and hit the pickup truck, officials said.
The crash happened shortly before 7 a.m. in a two lane construction zone with a reduced speed limit of 45 mph. The force of the collision trapped both drivers inside their vehicles and required extrication by emergency personnel.
Castaneda was rushed by an ambulance to a Carlsbad hospital, where he was then airlifted to Lubbock, Texas for treatment. Hernandez was pronounced dead at the scene by a Deputy Medical Investigator, officials said.
Both men were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash. Investigators said both drivers may have been speeding. Driver fatigue on the part of Castaneda is also being looked at as a contributing factors in the deadly crash.
---------By News/Web Producer Joe Villasana
