D'Val Westphal: Readers want answers on I-40 motorcycle takeover

D'Val Westphal, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·3 min read

Apr. 19—MORE ON THAT I-40 MOTORCYCLE DRAMA: After a wreck closed Interstate 40 on April 10, readers have sounded off on both the event and how it was handled.

Jerry Shea emails, "I am absolutely flabbergasted at the seeming police response to the outrageous blocking of I-40 this past weekend by those crotch-rocketeers. They are telling us that boys will be boys or something? We should be careful not to rile them? Surely I missed something. IMHO, the police should have cordoned them off and impounded their bikes!"

And Fishburn emails, "I've written about this before, and in your response you said the various police agencies would be instituting policies to keep roads open or reopened as quickly as possible. This has not happened.

"This is the kind of (thing that angers) New Mexico motorists. This was I-40 today for a motorcycle accident. It appears the motorcycle is on the shoulder in front of one of the police cruisers, but all four lanes were closed. If it was the typical police response this probably lasted for at least an hour.

"I drove a tow truck years ago in California. When I, and possibly other tow trucks drivers, responded to an accident we were immediately under pressure from the cops to get the vehicles cleared away so they could reopen the road. That is definitely not the case in New Mexico."

For a little background, this was no single-vehicle accident. And this is not the first time motorcyclists have taken over a freeway here to do stunts. The Albuquerque Police Department has said an investigation is ongoing. The April 12 Journal included a brief item on it, and the day of the highway closure, Rebecca Atkins, APD communications specialist, put out this news release:

"On Saturday, April 10, at approximately 4 p.m., a serious injury crash occurred on westbound Interstate 40 near the river between a vehicle and a motorcycle. A large group of motorcycles was traveling westbound on I-40 and were blocking all lanes of traffic; many were performing tricks and stunts. Witnesses provided information that the motorcycles would slow to approximately 35 mph at times while on the interstate.

"A white 1997 Ford truck was also traveling westbound on I-40 and was attempting to get around the large group that was impeding traffic and entered into the left shoulder to pass. The Ford truck entered back into the left lane and collided with a 2001 Honda motorcycle that was in the left lane.

"The rider and a passenger of the motorcycle sustained serious injuries and were transported to UNMH. After the collision several of the motorcyclists surrounded the truck and began banging on the windows and intimidating the driver. The driver of the truck felt threatened and then ran from the scene. The driver was contacted by officers."

Stay tuned.

Editorial page editor D'Val Westphal tackles commuter issues for the metro area on Mondays. Reach her at 823-3858; dwestphal@abqjournal.com; or 7777 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87109.