Posted on May 31, 2023

Pickup truck driver killed in wreck on Highway 70 east of Hondo

HONDO, NM - One person was killed and two others injured in a collision in Lincoln County last week, according to a New Mexico State Police news release.

It happened when a pickup truck and Commercial Motor Vehicle collided May 23 on New Mexico Highway 70 east of Hondo.

The NMSP's initial investigation determined that the driver of a 2008 Ford truck was pulling out of a driveway onto Highway 70 near mile marker 300 at about 10:50 p.m. when the vehicle was hit by a 2014 Peterbilt CMV.

The driver of the pickup, identified as 40-year-old Manuel Noriega of Riverside, New Mexico, was pronounced dead at the scene.  A female passenger and a male passenger in the Ford were hospitalized with undisclosed injuries.

State Police are investigating the accident and said that alcohol does not appear to have been a contributing factor.