The investigation into what caused Wednesday’s crash on U.S. Highway 70 that killed two and injured another is ongoing and could take weeks to resolve.
Keian Padilla, 15, and his 35-year-old mother Marcia K. Parra were killed in the crash that occurred on U.S. Highway 70 just east of the Sonoma Ranch overpass. Padilla and Parra were the only occupants of a 4-door Daewoo Nubira that was headed eastbound on Highway 70 when it was struck by an Isuzu Rodeo driven by 21-year-old Shauna Halladay.
Halladay’s Isuzu Rodeo was traveling westbound and, for some reason, crossed the center divide. The crash was reported shortly after 8 a.m.
Halladay was ejected after the collision and her vehicle rolled over at least once, coming to a rest on Bataan Memorial East. Halladay was initially transported to a Las Cruces hospital and then to El Paso. On Thursday morning Halladay was listed in stable condition at University Medical Center of El Paso.
Alcohol does not appear to be a contributing factor in Wednesday’s crash.
Both directions of Highway 70 were closed for several hours while traffic investigators gathered evidence and plotted the scene. Bataan Memorial East also was closed between Sonoma Ranch Boulevard and Mesa Grande Drive. Both roadways were re-opened to traffic by mid-afternoon Wednesday.