Las Cruces Police have issued citations to the 21-year-old man suspected of causing a four vehicle pileup Wednesday evening on Main Street.
Michael Burton was issued citations for driving while intoxicated, careless driving, driving on a suspended license and for not wearing a seatbelt. Burton was unresponsive at the scene and airlifted to University Medical Center of El Paso. His injuries appear to be minimal and he was listed in stable conditionThursday morning at the hospital.
Traffic investigators learned that at around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 12, Burton was driving a 2006 Chevrolet Colorado west on El Paseo and turning north onto Main Street when he failed to negotiate the turn. Burton’s vehicle jumped the center median and struck broadside a 1980 Jeep that was stopped in the left turn lane of south Main Street.
The force of the impact pushed the Jeep into a Honda Pilot that was in the second turn lane, which was pushed into a Saturn Outlook in the outside lane. The occupants of the Pilot and Outlook escaped serious injury.
The 47-year-old driver of the Jeep was briefly trapped inside his vehicle and suffered a leg injury. He was transported to Memorial Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
The crash momentarily forced the closure of a portion of southbound Main Street, between Lohman Avenue and El Paseo Road/Alameda Boulevard.