Family of crash victims protest lack of road safety near Metropolitan Detention Center
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Four people have died in less than two years on the roads to the Metropolitan Detention Center.
On Thursday, families who have lost loved ones gathered in that area to demand our local leaders do something to make the roads safer. It sounds simple, but the only thing the families want are lights in that area.
“Please, please to anyone in the government, to anyone that can hear me, please. This is my last protest for my son. All I want is lights, only the lights, I don’t need money, nothing. I only need lights, lights for them,” said Sujey Sanchez, mother of Joshua Munoz.
19-year-old Raquel Sachs was on Shelly Road when she was driving to work in November. She served off the road and died in a car crash.
Her family built a memorial for her. Now, they’re asking county leaders what’s it going to take.
“She was the light of our family. To continue to see all these families who have been broken because of this road, the safety of this road. This isn’t just for Raquel or Joshua, this is for the people who are still driving this road every day and every night to serve us to protect us we need to make sure no more families are torn apart,” said Alexsandria Deleon, sister of Raquel Sachs.
Sachs died last month. But another corrections officer, 19-year-old Joshua Munoz, died one year ago on Thursday. He was on his way home from work when he too served off the road and crashed.
Both of the officers were on the road late at night, when it’s near impossible to see in front of you.
Joshua Munoz’s mother, Sujey Sanchez, rallied supporters to call on the county to make the road safe for everyone else.
“He was an amazing boy. When the accident happened with my son, we came and we was walking, and we noticed a lot of crosses. We don’t hear anything at all. No one has called me from the county or anything or anyone. No one has called to say ‘Sorry for your son,’” said Sanchez.
The county says changes are coming. The stretch is complicated in the fact that it doesn’t just belong to the county. The Frontage Road is owned by the state, and a portion of Shelly Road is owned by the city and another portion is owned by the county.
County officials told KOB 4 there are plans to install more than 150 lights along this path leading to MDC, but that won’t happen until next year.
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