QUAY COUNTY, N.M. (KVII) — One man is dead after his vehicle was hit while on the side of the road but still partially in the lane of US Highway 54 in Quay County on Saturday morning.
According to the New Mexico State Police, officers responded to the wreck at about 10 a.m. and it happened near mile marker 329 to the northeast of Tucumcari.
The initial investigation determined a 2004 Chevrolet Impala, driven by Ervin Burton, Jr., 32, of Chicago, Illinois, was parked on the north side of US 54 westbound lanes with the driver’s side still partially in the lane of traffic.
For reasons still under investigation, a 2016 Volvo commercial motor vehicle rear-ended the driver’s side of the Impala and knocked it off the road.
Burton was injured and taken to a local hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. He was pronounced dead by the Office of the Medical Investigator.
A 27-year-old passenger in the Impala was also taken to the hospital and their condition is unknown.
The 42-year-old driver of the Volvo was not injured.
Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the crash, but authorities said neither occupant in the Impala.