Passer-by credited with saving life of teen in Las Cruces car crash

UPDATE: A speeding car that may have been racing triggered Sunday's crash that left a teenage passenger severely injured, while two other teens suffered lesser injuries, Las Cruces police said Monday.

The driver of the car lost control and crashed into a brick wall and then a tree along Solano Drive, investigators said, leaving a 16-year-old severely injured and hospitalized at University Medical Center in El Paso.

"A 24-year-old woman, who happened to be walking by at the time of the crash, is credited with providing initial first aid and possibly saving the life of the 16-year-old boy," said LCPD spokesman Dan Trujillo.

That victim's brother was the 17-year-old driver of the car, and police said he was also taken to UMC for treatment. Another 17-year-old passenger was admitted to a Las Cruces hospital.

None of the three teens were wearing seat belts, police said, and the car they were riding in had expired license plates.

ORIGINAL REPORT: LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- An early morning single-car crash that severely injured a passenger prompted police to close a portion of Solano Drive in Las Cruces on Sunday to investigate.

That crash occurred about 4:20 a.m. on Solano Drive near Griggs Avenue.

The lone passenger in the vehicle suffered "great bodily harm" and was rushed to a hospital, according to police, who did not indicate whether the driver had been hurt.

"(The passenger's) injuries, while severe, do not appear to be life-threatening," police said in a statement.

Traffic investigators shut down Solano Drive between Griggs Avenue and Las Cruces Avenue as they worked throughout the morning to try and determine the cause of the crash, forcing motorists to find an alternate route.