Española man charged in fatal crash
Collision near Pojoaque killed woman, snarled traffic for hours on U.S. 84/285
An 18-year-old Española man was booked Thursday in the Santa Fe County jail on a count of vehicular homicide and other charges stemming from a three-vehicle crash in the Pojoaque area last month that killed an Albuquerque woman, critically injured the man’s young relative and backed up traffic on U.S. 84/285 for hours.
Santa Fe County deputies believe Elias Arellano was speeding and driving recklessly on the highway Oct. 13 when he lost control of his northbound Chrysler Sebring convertible, which careened into oncoming traffic. He faces a third-degree felony charge in the death of 71-year-old Lucy Fresques, whose southbound Acura was hit head-on.
Fresques was critically injured in the crash and later died at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Her husband, Robert Fresques, who was riding with her in the Acura, was injured and airlifted to University of New
Mexico Hospital, records show.
Arellano faces a third-degree felony charge of causing great bodily harm by vehicle to Robert Fresques, who survived but suffered a broken left tibia and fibula, a chest injury, broken ribs and a left forearm fracture, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
Arellano, who deputies say had been driving with the top down on the convertible and wasn’t wearing a seat belt, also faces a count of great bodily harm by vehicle and a first-degree felony count of child abuse. He is accused of endangering and severely injuring his 13-year-old relative.
The boy, Greg Naranjo, and Arellano both were ejected from the convertible, the affidavit says. While Arellano was treated at Christus St. Vincent for an injured lung and spleen, a rib fracture and lacerations, the affidavit says, the boy was airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital in critical condition.
While his current condition could not immediately be confirmed, a hospital spokesman said late last month that Naranjo had improved to “satisfactory” condition, and Facebook posts have indicated he is continuing to progress.
Naranjo is the son of the Rev. Michael Naranjo of The Rock Christian Fellowship, an Española church. “Pastor Mike,” as he is known by his congregation, and his wife, Gloria, have 12 children. Arellano is the couple’s grandson.
Members of the congregation have held prayer sessions for the family and have posted updates on the teens’ conditions on Facebook since the crash occurred.
A Colorado couple in a third vehicle involved in the crash, a Volkswagen Jetta, were treated for minor injuries and released from Christus St. Vincent, sheriff ’s office spokesman Juan Ríos said at the time.
The crash occurred around 3:30 p.m. Oct. 13 near the Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino, on a stretch of U.S. 84/285 that doesn’t have a median barrier.
The state Department of Transportation told The New Mexican there is no median barrier in the area because the conditions of the road do not warrant one, though a spokeswoman said officials were reviewing past crash data at the site and would “take appropriate action” on “traffic safety features.”
“Safety is our number one priority,” department spokeswoman Emilee Cantrell said. “So, we will continue to encourage drivers to be safe behind the wheel — it can save their life and the lives of others on the road.”
High speed and careless driving have been cited as likely factors in the crash.
A witness who had been driving northbound on U.S. 84/285 told sheriff ’s deputies that he had seen the white convertible cut him off and continue driving north at a high rate of speed while weaving in and out of traffic. He continued to track the vehicle, the man said, and witnessed the crash.
Sheriff ’s deputies arrived on the scene and closed all lanes of the highway, diverting drivers to frontage roads.
Traffic was snarled in both directions for more than five hours during the rescue operation and investigation. Parking lots in Pojoaque filled up with weary travelers who had been stuck on the highway with no information from law enforcement about when the bottleneck might ease.
Arellano has a history of traffic infractions, according to court records, including speeding and careless driving. Prior to last month’s deadly crash, he had been cited six times since 2014.
In September 2015, he pleaded no contest to driving between 21 and 25 miles per hour over the speed limit. In August 2016, he was cited for not wearing a seat belt and pleaded no contest to the charge.
In September, a summons was issued for him to appear in court on a charge of not wearing a seat belt.
And on Oct. 20, a week after the crash, the Santa Fe County Magistrate Court issued a summons for him to appear in court on a count of careless driving from an incident Sept. 29.