Lea Co., NM – 19-Year-Old Dies in Crash on Orla Rd
Lea County, NM (June 26, 2025) – On June 24, a 19-year-old young man died as a result of a two-vehicle accident. According to official reports, a 2016 GMC Sierra and a white 2007 Freightliner collided under circumstances still being investigated by law enforcement with an attached tank trailer involved in the collision.
The GMC Sierra, driven by 19-year-old Dominick Calderon of San Elizario, Texas, was traveling northbound on Orla Road when it crashed with the tank trailer of the Freightliner. The truck was reportedly exiting a lease road and was turning onto Orla Road when the collision happened.
Officials with the Lea County Sheriff’s Office are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the family of the deceased victim.
New Mexico Fatal Crashes
During 2023, there were between 407 and 483 people killed in motor vehicle accidents in New Mexico. This means that, on average, at least one person died in a crash every 18 to 20 hours. While the number of deaths dropped slightly from the previous year, the state still has a high number of serious crashes. Most of these fatal accidents were caused by speeding, drunk driving, and distracted driving. Crashes happened more often in rural areas where people may drive faster and emergency help takes longer to arrive.
New Mexico has one of the highest rates of traffic deaths in the country. For every 100,000 people, about 22 to 23 die in motor vehicle crashes each year, which is much higher than the national average of about 13 deaths per 100,000 people. Another way to measure this is by how many miles people drive. In New Mexico, there are around 1.79 deaths for every 100 million miles driven, compared to about 1.37 nationwide. These numbers show that driving in New Mexico can be more dangerous than in many other states.
Across the United States, over 40,900 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2023. In 2024, the number dropped slightly to about 39,345 deaths. This is the first time since 2020 that fewer than 40,000 people died in crashes in a year. The nationwide death rate in 2024 was around 1.20 deaths for every 100 million miles driven, the lowest since before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the number of deaths among people walking or biking also remained high. In 2023, more than 7,300 pedestrians and over 1,100 cyclists were killed, showing that traffic safety is important for everyone, not just drivers.
