Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Cousins die in wreck on I-25

Argen Duncan El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

ADUNCAN A former Socorro County Sheriff and his cousin died after a car crash that occurred while they were traveling in separate vehicles and going in opposite directions on I-25, north of the Lemitar Exit on Monday afternoon.

Department of Public Safety Communications Director Peter Olson said the wreck occurred at about 1:30 p.m., near Mile Marker 156.

Debra Hughes, 58, of Mesa, Ariz., was traveling northbound when her white 1993 Infiniti went into the median for unknown reasons. The car became airborne and hit a tractor-trailer rig, which was without a trailer at the time, that was being driven by William Perez, 43, of Alamogordo.

The car then bounced off the tractor rig and hit the Goldwing motorcycle that Tom Zimmerman, 68, of Lemitar, was riding.

Hughes, who was ejected from her car, and Zimmerman both died at the scene. A Yorkshire terrier in Hughes' car was also killed.

The driver of the tractor-trailer rig was uninjured. No one else was involved in the accident.

"Alcohol does not appear to be a factor," Olson said.

State Police didn't know if Hughes was wearing a seat belt, but Olson said it was unlikely since she was ejected from the vehicle.

Traffic was diverted onto the east frontage road.

Olson said it appeared Hughes was on her way to visit her father, Pete Hughes, a San Acacia resident and Zimmerman's uncle. Debra Hughes and Zimmerman were cousins.

Mark Mercer, Zimmerman's nephew, said he helped direct southbound traffic onto the frontage road at San Acacia.

Socorro County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Preciliano "Shorty" Vaiza, also a friend of Zimmerman, said he and Mercer diverted traffic onto the frontage road without knowing who was involved in the wreck. Before they learned who was riding the motorcycle, they agreed it looked like Zimmerman's.

The motorcycle's registration came back to someone else's name, however, Vaiza said.

Zimmerman was a former Socorro County sheriff and New Mexico Tech chief of police.

"The family is getting through this," Mercer said.

The crash is a tragedy for the whole family, he said.

aduncan@dchieftain.com

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