Las Cruces Police are investigating a Monday afternoon hit-and-run crash on Picacho Avenue that injured two teenage girls who were walking across the roadway in a designated crosswalk.
Shortly after 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 15, police were dispatched to Picacho Avenue, just west of Melendres Street, where two 16-year-old girls – twins – were struck by a pickup. One of the girls was airlifted to University Medical Center of El Paso while the other was transported to Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces.
The extent of their injuries is not known at this time.
Witnesses told police the girls were walking north, across Picacho Avenue, in a designated crosswalk near Lions Park. Most vehicles stopped for the girls but a white Ford pickup traveling westbound in the outside lane failed to yield for the teens.
Traffic investigators learned that the 81-year-old driver of the white Ford pickup failed to immediately stop after striking the girls. He allegedly drove a couple hundred feet after striking the girls before stopping. Witnesses told police the driver walked back to where the girls lay on the ground before returning to his pickup and driving away.
Police located the pickup a few blocks away and conducted a traffic stop. Charges against the driver of the pickup are pending.
Investigators hope to speak with the driver of a gray Toyota Corolla that legally stopped for the girls. The Corolla was traveling west on the inside lane and stopped for the girls. Investigators believe the driver of the Corolla might have information relevant to the investigation.
Witnesses to the crash are asked to call police at (575) 526-0795.
Information from Las Cruces Police