A man survived a rollover accident in the early morning hours of Christmas eve only to be struck by a passing car about an hour later, according to State Police.
Aurther Mercado, whose exact age has not been reported, rolled his car on Rio Arriba County Road 57 near the intersection with State Road 74 shortly after 3:30 a.m. Dec. 24, and walked to State Road 74 to flag down police summoned by a local homeowner, according to State Police officer Algin Mendes. Mendes saw Mercado walking on the road as he approached, and pulled over to the side of the road as another car came from the opposite direction.
“I saw Mercado walking on the shoulder flagging me down,” Mendes said. “Then I don’t know if he fainted or he just fell, I hadn’t gotten to him quite yet and a car came and I spotlighted (Mercado) making sure traffic knew he was there.”
The car didn’t stop or slow down, however, and struck Mercado and drove over him, court documents state. Mercado sustained fractures to his face, rib cage, and hips, as well as internal injuries, Mendes said. He was airlifted from Española Hospital to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where he was still in critical condition Tuesday, Mendes said. Mercado is originally from El Paso, Texas, and is in his early 20s, Mendes said.
Mendes was able to get a description of the suspect’s brown Oldsmobile Alero, which officer Orlando Sanchez caught up with on State Road 74. When Sanchez signalled the car’s driver to pull over, he instead fled down County Road 129 and pulled into a private drive where he and a passenger fled on foot. After identifying the vehicle as belonging to Justine Rivera, officers proceeded to his Ojo Caliente home and made contact with his family. Around 9 a.m. that morning, Rivera and his cousin Loren Larkin, 24, turned themselves in, Mendes said.
Rivera told police Larkin was driving his car because he had too much to drink, according to court documents. The two were aware they hit something in the roadway but thought it was a rock or stump, Rivera told police. They didn’t stop to find out because they were “freaking out” about getting arrested for a DUI, documents state.
Larkin told police he was driving the car after drinking one shot of liquor and one beer. Seeing the officer, he feared a DUI arrest and did not stop after running over what he believed was a dog, documents state. Larkin further told police that Rivera yelled at him to keep going.
Larkin was charged with causing great bodily injury by vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident involving death or great bodily injury, documents state. He bonded out of Rio Arriba County Jail Dec. 29 after posting an $8,000 surety bond.
Rivera has not been charged for his role in the incident.