Names of 3 killed in rollover near Sierra Blanca released

Late afternoon May 1 Story:

The names have been released of the three detention officers killed in an early morning crash near Sierra Blanca Thursday. Two other passengers were injured and transported to Del Sol Hospital in El Paso in critical but stable condition.

All occupants of the 2005 Chevy Suburban were detention officers at the West Texas Detention Facility.

They deceased are:

Alan Eduardo Pena, 20, of El Paso, who died due to trauma to the skull.

Rudy Arana, 25, of El Paso, who died due to trauma to his skull and arm.

Taylor McKenzi, age unknown, of Cibolo, Texas, who died of trauma to skull.

All three were not wearing their seatbelts and ejected from the vehicle.

The driver of the SUV was George Gomez-Olague, 20, of El Paso, who was wearing a seatbelt. He suffered a shoulder and possible neck injury.

Christopher Sierra, 25, of Horizon City, also had a possible head and arm injury.

Gomez-Olague and Sierra were both wearing their seatbelts.

Texas DPS Sgt. Elizabeth Barney said the preliminary investigation shows that the vehicle was traveling west on I-10 near mile marker 140 when Gomez-Olague made an unsafe lane change around a vehicle in the right lane.

The vehicle then exited the roadway onto the shoulder of the opposite side of the highway. Gomez-Olague was unable to navigate the vehicle back to the roadway through the center median and the SUV rolled over.

Early May 1 Story: Three employees of the West Texas Detention Facility were killed in a single-vehicle crash near Sierra Blanca at about 6:30 a.m., according to Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West.

Two others in the automobile were sent to hospitals – one airlifted to El Paso and the other sent by ambulance.

The accident happened a couple of miles west of Sierra Blanca on I-10 West as the employees were heading home after their shift had ended.