Riding a bicycle late at night in New Mexico is a delightfully peaceful experience if all goes well. The air is cool in the hours just after midnight, even on days when the daytime sun is scorching hot. There is nothing but you and the natural world, and perhaps the friend you have chosen to accompany you on your ride. If you ride on a rural road late at night, your chances of encountering a car are low. Of course, some rural roads in New Mexico have low visibility due to poor lighting and unpredictable twists and turns. Despite this, drivers must use their headlights when driving at night, and if they use reasonable caution, they can keep a safe distance away from bicyclists.
The collision in Farmington that claimed the lives of two bicyclists was preventable for several reasons. If you suffered severe injuries when a car struck your bicycle at night, contact a Santa Fe motor vehicle accidents and car accidents lawyer.
Two Bicyclists Die After DWI Accident on Navajo Route 36 in Farmington
In October 2024, Francis Matias and Cody Newton were riding their bicycles on Navajo Route 36 in Farmington when a 2006 Ford Ranger struck them. Both bicyclists were pronounced dead at the scene. Matias, the mother of two sons and a daughter, was 54 years old, and Newton was 34.
The driver of the Ford Ranger was Jaron Ray Todecheeny, who remained at the scene and spoke to police. He told police that he could not avoid hitting Matias and Newton because of poor visibility. There were no streetlights nearby, and the headlights on his vehicle were not bright enough for him to see them clearly. He saw two people, but he could not tell that they were on bicycles; from his perspective, it looked like they were walking in an irregular pattern.
When police asked Todecheeny if he was under the influence of alcohol, he denied it at first, but a breathalyzer test showed that his blood alcohol content (BAC) was more than 0.19, which is more than twice the legal limit of 0.08%. He then told police that he drank two shots of vodka shortly before driving.
Todecheeny was charged with two counts of DWI homicide, and he pleaded not guilty. The court ordered him to remain detained until his trial because of his history of dangerous behavior related to drunk driving. In 2021, Todecheeny got a DWI for driving drunk with a child in the car; the arrest was due to a traffic stop, and he did not cause an accident at that time. He entered a pretrial detention program in which he successfully completed a probation sentence; therefore, the court dismissed his charges, and he did not get a criminal conviction.
Contact Slate Stern About Personal Injury Lawsuits
Slate Stern is a personal injury lawyer who represents plaintiffs injured in bicycle accidents. Contact Slate Stern in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or call (505)814-1517 to discuss your case.
Sources
https://www.tricityrecordnm.com/articles/aztec-man-arrested-in-dwi-crash-that-killed-two-bicyclists/
Photo by Hamid Khaleghi on Unsplash