Police Identify Fort Bliss Soldier, 2 Women Killed In Head-On Collision

A mother and daughter were killed after a Fort Bliss soldier who was driving the wrong way on Interstate 10 crashed into their car head-on Tuesday, police said. The soldier also died in the crash.

The crash occurred about 9:30 p.m. on I-10 east near the Clint exit.

Socorro police said 27-year-old Terrance Higgins was driving the wrong way for at least two miles when he collided head-on with a Dodge Charger. In the car were a mother, her daughter and 3-year-old granddaughter, and a family friend. The 3-year-old and family friend were taken to University Medical Center, where they are listed in critical condition.

Higgins, 20-year-old Amy Lopez, and her mother, 39-year-old Ruby Lopez, died in the crash. Friends of the family said Amy is the mother of the 3-year-old girl.

“Last night’s rate of closure in that accident was in excess of 140 miles an hour,”said David Garcia, a spokesman for the city of Socorro. who called the crash “nightmarish. “You can imagine what two cars crashing at 140 miles an hours — one an SUV, another loaded with people — what kind of damage the impact can cause.”

The other woman in the car was 22-year-old Monica Pinon. She’s a friend of the Lopezes and is in critical condition at UMC. Pinon’s mother said Ruby and Amy Lopez were like family to Monica.

She said they were, “sisters in Christ.”