Police Blotter: Head-on collision sends four in family to hospital

SHIPROCK

A head-on collision about noon Saturday near the Shiprock Bridge sent four members of a Gallup sports family to the hospital with multiple broken bones and fractures.

The family’s mother, Marsha, as well as her three children, Destinee, 20, Kiana 18 and Derrick, 11, were all attending the North-South All-Star Softball Tournament.

Derrick was airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital with bleeding to his liver. The other three were treated at the Shiprock hospital for various broken bones and fractures.

Marsha, Kiana and Derrick Spencer remained in the hospital Sunday night. Destinee was released Sunday night from the Shiprock hospital but is scheduled to undergo facial reconstructive surgery later this week.

According to Marshal Spencer, who was driving the Spencer vehicle, another car traveling at a high rate of speed, crossed the medium and struck her car head-on as it was hemmed in by traffic traveling south.

The name of the other driver was not released. He is currently under investigation, however, by the FBI.

BIA forestry investigating fire in the Chuska Mountains

An official for the BIA forestry office in Fort Defiance said late Wednesday morning that forestry officials were investigating a fire in the Chuska mountains west of the Mexican Springs Chapter.

Assistant Fire Chief Johnson Benally said the fire first became noticeable Tuesday evening when smoke could be seen coming from the area.

Early Wednesday, a fire engine and two personnel from the Fort Defiance office was sent to investigate, he said.

“It could just be a single tree on fire,” he said, adding that the office would not be able to determine how serious the fire is until that crew has enough time to hike into the area since there the site of the fire is in a remote location far from any road.

If it does turn out to be serious, it would be the first major fire of the season.

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