Jun. 19—A dust storm Wednesday afternoon along Interstate 25 near Algodones and San Felipe Pueblo caused multiple crashes that sent at least 18 people to the hospital, according to the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office.
The storm brought about “zero visibility” conditions, officials said. New Mexico State Police were dispatched to the scene, as well as deputies from Sandoval and Santa Fe counties.
I-25 was closed in both directions for several hours from mile marker 248 at Algodones to mile marker 254, according to the state Department of Transportation. The southbound side reopened earlier, and both sides were reopened by about 5:45 p.m.
Sandoval County Lt. Marin Carrillo said the largest crash was a 17-car pileup near Algodones that occurred at about 3:30 p.m. Around the same time, several other crashes occurred in the area, and vehicles drove off the roadway, he said.
There were no fatalities, Carrillo said. Several people who were transported to the hospital had suspected broken bones, and others reported chest pains, he said.
Sandoval County deputies also arrested two men on the scene, Carrillo said.
One was an intoxicated man “who was screaming at deputies” as he drove by a crash scene, Carrillo said. After deputies pulled over the driver, police used a stun gun on a passenger in the vehicle after he became aggressive and ran off, Carrillo said.
Commuters shared pictures and videos from the aftermath of the crashes on social media, showing the wreckage of vehicles along the roadway.
Thunder and hail storms were reported Wednesday afternoon across a wide stretch of Central and Eastern New Mexico, and there were high winds in the area around the time the pileup was reported, according to the National Weather Service in Albuquerque.
Assistant City Editor Nathan Brown contributed.
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