Pedestrian in accident dies in hospital

A woman hit by a car last week died Friday in a Lubbock hospital, police said.

Lisa Gutierrez-Ruiz, 43, was hit just after 9 p.m. the night of Feb. 6 near the intersection of Seventh and Jones streets in Clovis, police Capt. Roman Romero said.

The driver of the vehicle, 16, was on scene when police arrived and assisted in the investigation, Romero said. The investigation continues, but no charges had been filed in connection with the case as of Tuesday.

According to the report from the Clovis Police Department, the vehicle was westbound on Seventh Street when it turned south on to Jones Street. The report states Gutierrez-Ruiz was crossing Jones Street about 20 feet south of the intersection of Jones and Seventh. It was at that location Gutierrez-Ruiz was hit.

According to the report the vehicle’s driver told police Gutierrez-Ruiz “was on his blind side and that he did not see her in the road.”

Pedestrian accidents are rare in the city, Romero said. The New Mexico Department of Transportation reports Clovis has averaged about seven per year since 2017, most of them not fatal.

“The majority of these accidents happen at night,” Deputy Police Chief Trevor Thron told The News.

Thron said a number of the victims were wearing dark clothes and crossing streets in poorly lit areas.

Thron recommended anyone walking at night stay on sidewalks and walk facing traffic.

“To pedestrians I’d say try to avoid crossing streets that are poorly lit, wear bright clothing, have a flashlight,” Thron said. “Make yourself visible.”

Portales Police Chief Christopher Williams said pedestrian accidents are not common in Portales either.

“We do occasionally see these throughout every year,” Williams said.

Williams said the typical crash involving a pedestrian and a vehicle is due to the pedestrian not following the correct traffic laws, such as crossing at other than an intersection or crosswalk.

“There really hasn’t been anything in common in these accidents other than they have for the most part been pedestrian error,” Williams said.