APD: ‘Senseless’ DWI crash kills 2 children
Third child, driver critical after barrier hit at high speed by Big I
Police say two women were drinking before they got into a high-speed crash on Interstate 25 early Tuesday that killed two of their four children and critically injured a third.
Albuquerque Police Department spokeswoman Rebecca Atkins said criminal charges are pending for the driver, who was also in critical condition.
Atkins did not identify the driver but said she and the woman passenger each had two of their children in the vehicle and “each lost one child.”
Police said a boy less than 1 year old and a girl less than 10 died at the scene. A third child, less than 5, and the driver were hospitalized in critical condition.
The adult passenger and fourth child were hospitalized with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Atkins said there were car seats, but one of the children was sitting on the floor of the vehicle when the crash occurred.
“Alcohol and speed were contributing factors in this crash, and the DWI Unit is working with the District Attorney to pursue criminal charges,” she said. “This case remains an active investigation.”
In an update on APD’s Twitter feed, Lt. Nick Wheeler called the crash “a senseless act” by two
women in their early 20s who decided to drive intoxicated with four children.
“I don’t know how to express this without just telling you, ‘people think before you act,’” he said, adding that calling a designated driver is “cheaper than killing someone or yourselves.”
Wheeler said around 3:20 a.m. officers responded to the crash on northbound I-25 north of the Big I.
He said the car was speeding on the flyover from westbound I-40 to northbound I-25 when it “left the roadway and became airborne,” crossed all lanes of I-25 and crashed into a concrete barrier.
Wheeler said the passenger told police she and the driver had been drinking before the crash.
He said police are still trying to notify family members of the children before releasing their names.
Northbound I-25 was closed at the Big I and east/west Interstate 40 ramps to northbound I-25 were also closed most of the morning as the Motors Unit investigated the crash.