Police: Pair argued before fatal crash

Woman died after being ejected from vehicle on I-25; impairment suspected

The survivor of a single-vehicle crash that took a Pecos woman’s life Saturday told police he and his passenger were arguing at the time of the accident, according to Santa Fe police reports.

Ramiro Esparza, 23, of Pecos, was driving north on Interstate 25 when the silver Jeep Wrangler swerved into the southbound lanes and rolled over near St. Francis Drive around 4 p.m., according to police reports. Esparza was suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash, police reported.

Ernestine Christiana Romero, a 29-year-old from Pecos, died shortly after being ejected from the vehicle.

According to a witness, the Jeep’s passenger door had been opened while the vehicle was moving, a report said. The witness also told police the vehicle was driving “erratically” when she saw the Jeep veer left into the side shoulder of the interstate, then completely off the road before it rolled over.

Esparza, who broke an arm in several places, told police he could not remember if he or Romero were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. He stated he and Romero had been arguing at the time of the crash and that the last thing he remembered was losing control of the vehicle, reports said.

When police arrived to the scene, Esparza was found lying on his back about 50 feet from the guardrail, bleeding from his head, reports said. Romero was on the other side of the vehicle, “in bad shape,” beneath the guardrail and partly in the roadway, according to police.

The crash prompted police to reroute traffic for several hours on Saturday between the Old Pecos Trail and St. Francis Drive exits.

Paramedics transported both individuals to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, where Romero died, according to police reports.

At the scene of the incident, police reported they found multiple glass pipes with marijuana residue and at least two canisters of “Best Daze” branded pot.

Greg Gurulé, a spokesman for the police department, said the case was under investigation Monday and that no charges had been filed.