One person died and two others were sent to an area hospital in a May 10 two-vehicle crash along Interstate 40 in Cibola County, officials said.

Carl Christiansen, public information officer with the New Mexico State Police, said at around 1:41 pm that a Ford pickup truck was hit by a commercial vehicle near mile marker 95 which is about five miles east of the I-40 Cubero exit.

Christiansen said a preliminary investigation indicates that both vehicles were traveling east on I-40 during inclement weather and with limited visibility. There was heavy rain in the area at least two days last week.

“There weren’t very good conditions in terms of weather,” Christiansen said. “That factor contributed to the incident.”

Christiansen identified the driver of the pickup as Jerald Jones, 48, of Phoenix. The passengers in the pickup were Robert Parker, 81, and Carlos Alvarado, 42, both of Phoenix. Neither was wearing a seat belt at the time of the incident, Christiansen said.

Parker was pronounced dead at the scene.

Christiansen said Jones was taken to Cibola County General Hospital in Grants with non-life threatening injuries. Alvarado refused hospital treatment, Christiansen said.

Christiansen said the incident remains under investigation. He did not identify the company connected to the commercial vehicle nor state anything about possible charges against either driver.

By Bernie Dotson

Sun Correspondent