ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A suspected drunk driver is accused of causing a deadly I-40 crash. It killed a woman while two people were changing a flat tire on the side of the road. Lapel video has been obtained of the officers arriving on the scene.
As Albuquerque Police Department (APD) officers showed up to the three-vehicle car crash on I-40 near mile marker 154, they found Raymundo Jaquez-Barallasco. The 31-year-old was visibly upset that his red GMC pickup truck was totaled.
The criminal complaint stated a man and a woman were parked in the right emergency lane to change a tire on January 21, 2023. A little after 3:30 a.m., the complaint alleged a red truck driven by Jaquez-Barallasco slammed into the cars; he admitted to drinking alcohol that night.
According to Albuquerque Fire Rescue, the woman’s legs were pinned, and they nearly had to amputate them to get her out. She was transported to UNM Hospital, but she later died. The man was also taken to the hospital for bleeding in his brain.
Jaquez-Barallasco told the officer, “I can see how they’re hurt, but I can’t see how it’s my fault.” On scene, Jaquez-Barallasco doesn’t seem to understand the severity of his actions. “I just want to make sure they don’t want to blame it on me,” he continued.
Reality starts to sink in as he sits in handcuffs. He quietly listened as an officer gave him an update on the victim’s injuries. “One of those individuals was killed as a result of their injuries that you caused during the crash. The second person is still in critical condition at UNM Hospital with bleeding of their brain and multiple facial fractures,” the officer told him.
Jaquez-Barallasco was charged with one count of homicide by motor vehicle, DWI, and one count of great bodily harm by a motor vehicle, DWI. He’ll be behind bars until his day in court. A jury trial has been set for November 13.
