Juan Gutierrez Killed in Single-Vehicle Accident on US-54 in El Paso, TX
El Paso, TX — November 19, 2022, 65-year-old Juan Jose Gutierrez died in a single-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 54 in El Paso.
Authorities say the incident happened around 11:00 p.m. on US-54 at Diana Drive. Preliminary investigation suggests that Gutierrez was driving a Chevy Silverado pickup north on the highway when he lost control for unknown reasons. The truck left the roadway and rolled over several times, then came to rest in the median between the highway and the Diana exit.
Gutierrez was ejected during the rollover and suffered fatal injuries. Investigators alleged alcohol consumption might have been a factor and collected blood samples for testing.
No further information is currently available.
People often regard police reports as the final word on an accident, but while they often provide a general understanding of what happened they rarely delve deep enough to really explain how or why things went that way. I see that most often with two categories of crash: Those involving just one vehicle, and those allegedly involving alcohol. There's a lot of overlap between those, but if either detail shows up in reports people are pretty quick to decide the driver just made some mistakes. Am I saying they're wrong? Not necessarily, but I am saying that in many cases there's more to the story.
Take crashes where police allege alcohol was a factor, for example: In many cases it turns out the driver—who is also the victim much of the time—was illegally over-served by a local business before their accident. In those situations responsibility for their injuries may extend to those law-breaking businesses, so it's an important part of a full investigation to find out where the alcohol came from.
I don't know more than reports say about what happened in El Paso, but that's the point: They don't really say all that much. A man lost his life, though, and that seems like more than enough reason to get some real answers about how and why for his loved ones. They deserve no less.
