S.F. police report third pedestrian death in ’17

Santa Fe police say a teen driver struck and killed a pedestrian Friday night on Cerrillos Road south of Siler Road.

The incident is at least the third nighttime pedestrian fatality in the city this year, all of them on Cerrillos Road, and in each case — including an incident involving an on-duty officer — police have said the driver was not at fault.

Lt. Adam Gallegos of the Santa Fe Police Department said initial reports of Friday’s incident indicate the pedestrian had been crossing Cerrillos at around 9:20 p.m. in an area without a crosswalk, in the 3000 block, between a Motel 6 and Denny’s restaurant.

The 17-year-old driver had not been charged as of late Saturday morning, Gallegos said, and it didn’t appear that he would face charges.

Family members of the victim had not been notified about the death, Gallegos said, so he could not provide an identity.

The incident was still under investigation, and no further details were available.

In January, 55-year-old Michael Chavez of Santo Domingo Pueblo was fatally struck at the intersection of Cerrillos Road and Zafarano Drive. And in mid-February, a Santa Fe officer hit and killed 41-year-old Francisco Navarrette while transporting a suspect to the Santa Fe County jail.

According to federal data, pedestrian deaths reached a 20-year high in 2016. New Mexico had the highest rate of pedestrian fatalities in the nation in 2014, but then saw a decline in 2015.

Preliminary data show New Mexico ranked fifth in the nation in the first half of 2016, after pedestrian deaths climbed by more than 23 percent compared with the first half of 2015, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

Contact Cynthia Miller at 505-986-3095 or cmiller @sfnewmexican.com.