Chamar Gallegos Obituary, Death – Authorities have identified the victim of a late-afternoon crash that triggered a multi-vehicle collision, causing a significant shutdown of eastbound Interstate 40 near the Big I for several hours on Friday. The New Mexico State Police announced that the deceased is 26-year-old Chamar Gallegos from Albuquerque. According to KOAT-TV, the incident occurred just before 5 PM.
In a news release issued on Saturday, State Police detailed the circumstances surrounding the crash. Gallegos was driving an eastbound Honda Civic on I-40, approaching the interchange to head north on Interstate 25. At the time, traffic in that area was slow and congested. For reasons still under investigation, Gallegos’s Civic failed to slow down and collided with the rear of a 2019 GMC SUV. This initial impact triggered a chain reaction involving three additional vehicles.
Police noted that Gallegos was not properly secured with a seat belt at the time of the collision and sustained fatal injuries. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly after the incident.
In total, five vehicles were involved in the crash, but authorities reported that no other injuries occurred. The incident resulted in the complete closure of all eastbound lanes on I-40 for approximately three hours, leading to significant traffic delays.
The State Police are actively investigating the crash and have indicated that they do not believe alcohol was a contributing factor.