Santa Fe New Mexican

Man killed in crash ID’d as S.F. attorney

- By Elayne Lowe elowe@sfnewmexic­an.com

Cristina Dominguez knew something was wrong when John Greg Camp didn’t show up to court.

A senior paralegal, Dominguez had often joked with Camp about their differing political beliefs. For fun, she’d even found the perfect gag gift for Camp, a Santa Fe lawyer and Donald Trump supporter: a talking Trump pen featuring the president’s head.

Dominguez said she was excited about the opportunit­y to see Camp in Tierra Amarilla on Monday, if only to share the next round of laughs. But when Camp didn’t answer a text message and a Rio Arriba County Sheriff ’s deputy said there was the report of a crash on U.S. 84, she had a feeling she’d never be able to share another light moment with her friend.

“I just knew something bad had happened,” Dominguez said. “It was like I knew he was saying goodbye.”

Camp, 53, was killed Monday morning when his motorcycle collided with a car north of Hernández, the Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday. Sheriff ’s Office spokesman Randy Sanches said Camp died at the scene of the crash, which seriously injured the driver of the other vehicle.

Dominguez said Camp had been contracted by the Santa Fe County Public Defender’s Office to represent clients in five felony cases. After starting cases without Camp, the courtroom filled with shock when the deputy announced Camp didn’t survive the crash.

“It’s just devastatin­g for us,” Dominguez said. “We had a hard time functionin­g in court without him.”

Sanches said Jose Duran, 20, was driving his 1998 white Honda

Civic southbound when, for an unknown reason, he crossed into the northbound lane and collided with Camp’s BMW motorcycle.

Duran, a Hernández resident, was airlifted to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center and underwent emergency surgery Monday afternoon, Sanches said. He sustained fractures in his legs, shoulder and collarbone, as well as a punctured lung.

Duran remained in critical condition Tuesday, Sanches said, and investigat­ors were waiting for him to recover to conduct an interview.

There was no passenger in Duran’s vehicle, Sanches said.

Camp was wearing full safety gear, including a helmet, boots, gloves, padded jacket and pants, he said.

“Greg rode his motorcycle everywhere; I knew he enjoyed that,” said Santa Fe District Defender Morgan Wood in a telephone interview. “He was very safety minded.”

In an email, Wood wrote Camp had worked for the Public Defender’s Office from September 2015 to October 2016, then had a contract with the department afterward.

“He did outstandin­g work for his clients, and could disagree without being disagreeab­le,” Wood wrote. “Greg’s presence cannot be replaced.”

Camp had a law office on Cerrillos Road and worked on criminal and personal injury cases, according to his firm’s website.

He also had a page on the Fine Art America website displaying his black-and-white photograph­y from his motorcycle travels around the country and world. According to a biography posted on the site, he was a member of the Iron Butt Motorcycle Associatio­n, an organizati­on devoted to endurance motorcycle riding.

Camp is survived by his wife, son, two daughters, stepson and stepdaught­er. He was born and raised in Enid, Okla., where he also practiced law.

His family could not be reached for comment.

A funeral service is planned at 5 p.m. Friday at Rivera Family Funerals, 417 Rodeo Road.

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