Jan. 14—A highway north of Santa Fe was closed to traffic for several hours Monday night after multiple crashes police attributed to icy roads.
The crashes occurred after sunset, when temperatures dipped down and black ice formed over the road, police said.
A New Mexico State Police spokesperson said officers closed a 12-mile section of U.S. 84/285 from about 7 to 9 p.m. Monday at Tesuque Pueblo and Cuyamungue in response to crashes, including one that injured a Pojoaque Pueblo police officer.
Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the first incident near Tesuque Pueblo at 7:35 p.m. — a crash involving three vehicles, according to a report.
One of the drivers told deputies his vehicle started spinning after he pressed his brakes, and his car spun into the next lane and struck another car as well as a police cruiser. He said he was traveling 30 mph when the crash occurred.
The Pojoaque police officer who was struck was taken to a hospital for treatment of “severe back pain,” the report states. The officer was driving with a police dog in his cruiser, and tribal officers retrieved the dog from the scene of the crash, deputies wrote. Commanding officers from the agency did not respond to an inquiry about the officer’s condition Tuesday.
No other injuries were reported to law enforcement from the string of crashes on the highway.
However, state police handled another crash nearby that involved several vehicles, spokesperson Wilson Silver said Tuesday.
Pojoaque Pueblo police posted winter driving tips on the agency’s Facebook page Tuesday:
* Slow down and leave extra space between you and other vehicles.
* Keep your gas tank at least half full to prevent freezing.
* Avoid sudden braking or sharp turns, as roads may be slick.
A weather forecast from National Weather Service’s Albuquerque office predicted lower-than-average nighttime temperatures in Santa Fe and surrounding areas Tuesday and Wednesday, meaning patches of ice could develop on roads again as low temperatures dip into the teens.
The low temperature predicted for Santa Fe was 15 degrees Tuesday night and 19 degrees Wednesday night.