Good Samaritan killed on I-10 while trying to help driver of stalled vehicle

A man who pulled over to help the driver of a stalled vehicle was killed when he was struck by the driver of a pickup.

The wreck happened January 28, 2019 at about 4:45 p.m., on I-10 near mile marker 159.

The initial investigation indicates a 2001 Volkswagen, driven by 18-year-old Garcia Talamantes, of Mexico, stalled in the middle of the freeway’s westbound lanes. The teenager’s first name was not released by state police.

A Good Samaritan, identified as 46-year-old Byron Wade Cross, of Sunland Park, stopped to assist the driver of the Volkswagen. At that point, police said, the Volkswagen was was struck by the driver of a 2008 Chevrolet pickup.

Immediately after the first collision, the driver of a 2002 Lincoln, identified by police as 72-year-old Daniel A. Terrazas, of Las Cruces, swerved right to avoid a collision with the Chevrolet and the Volkswagen, fatally striking Cross.

Police said Cross was standing on the right shoulder of the roadway when he was struck. The good samaritan was transported to University Medical Center in El Paso, where he was pronounced dead.

The driver of the Volkswagen, Garcia Talamantes, was issued a traffic citation for “stop, standing, parked on roadways,” state police said.

The driver of the Lincoln, Terrazas, was issued traffic citations for an expired driver’s license, no insurance and careless driving, police said. Terrazas was also arrested on an unrelated arrest warrant out of Dona Ana County and booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center.

The driver of the Chevrolet pickup was not charged with a crime and his name was not released by state police.