Snow causes chaos on I-40; nine accidents reported

By Tom Purdom
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Monday's unexpected weather probably spoiled more than memories of last week's unseasonably warm weather.

The return to winter weather caused nine accidents on Interstate 40 between Mile Marker 63 and 126. The interstate was shut down for about two hours after a semi-truck jack knifed in the westbound lanes, and contributed to two accidents that left 175 feet of highway department guardrail ripped out.

Even though accident information was not available at presstime Monday because the state police computer handling accident reports was not working, at 8 p.m. all of the accidents seemed to be between Mile Marker 63 on the interstate and the New Mexico-Arizona State Line, at least that is what the New Mexico State Police reported. And then things began to get a little dicey in Cibola County.

At 9:35 p.m. Monday the state police dispatch center reported a roll-over accident at Mile Marker 92 on a road overpass spanning Interstate 40. "We have a pickup truck dangling over the bridge," the dispatcher said.

Apparently, Leonard and Bessie Elliott, of Nebraska, driving a 1992 Toyota pickup truck, skidded on a slick patch of road and slammed into the guardrail of the bridge. Sgt. Chad Davis, of the Milan Substation of the New Mexico State Police said the couple was injured, but his report did not indicate how severely.

Rosie Sais, a New Mexico Department of Transportation Public Information Officer said 125 feet of guardrail was damaged in the accident and will have to be replaced.

At 9:40 p.m. an officer responding to the accident reported, "I don't know if they can tow this out ... the roads are terrible out here."

Previously, the New Mexico Department of Transportation had sent the Grants Patrol out at 5:45 p.m. to clear the roadways. The crew worked through to 12:30 a.m. when they were relieved by a shift change.

At 11:32 p.m., the police radio crackled again. A semi-tractor rig had jack knifed in the westbound lanes of Interstate 40 at Mile Marker 79 and during the accident, some 50 feet of the guardrail on top of the bridge was damaged.

The truck straddled both westbound lanes, and for about the next two hours, the interstate had to be shut down while a wrecker crew wrestled with the huge truck. "Traffic was being diverted onto the Exit 79 exit, across the street below and onto the interstate on-ramp on the other side," Davis said. "Traffic was not completely shut down."

"It was a busy night for us," Davis said.

Sais said guardrail repair work will begin as soon as the weather allows.