A 23-year-old Santa Fe man died Thursday night after rear-ending a vehicle that had stopped after hitting a deer, according to police.
Deputy Chief Paul Joye originally said the motorcyclist — Enrique Santiago Roybal — had struck the deer but later amended that to say Roybal struck the rear end of the 2004 Subaru Legacy driven by Susan Whittington, 62, of Española.
Joye said Whittington had stopped after striking the deer, but he had no further details Friday.
Roybal died at the scene on St. Francis Drive just south of the intersection with Alamo Drive, near Santa Fe National Cemetery. According to an initial crash report, the collision happened just after 9 p.m.
“The deer was injured but not killed and did have to be put down,” Joye said.
According to the report, Roybal was traveling at the posted speed limit, but police said they suspect he might have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Whittington was also going the speed limit, according to the crash report, and had not consumed alcohol.