17.08.2022

Fatal utility platform incident

One person died and another was injured last Wednesday, August 10th, when a car ploughed into the back of a truck mounted aerial work platform/bucket truck. The incident occurred on state road 88 near Portales, New Mexico - halfway between Albuquerque and Lubbock, Texas.

The driver of the car, Merle Corbin, 89, was, according to the police, travelling east towards the Texas border when her car crossed onto the other side of the road and then the hard shoulder where it struck the rear end of the truck. She was declared dead at the scene.

The man, a lineman from Roosevelt Electric Cooperative was in the platform at the time, working on a power line. He was taken to hospital, where his injuries were said to be non-life threatening. New Mexico State Police is investigating the incident.
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The stretch of road 88 looking west