Navajo Nation Man Killed By Bear

Above, a black bear at Yellowstone Bear World. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A bear attack in the Navajo Nation resulted in a fatality.

One may ask, "There are bears in the Navajo Nation?" Incredible as it may seem (not to those of us who live in New Mexico), not all of the Navajo Nation is in the desert. There are some mountainous areas with forests within the Navajo Nation.

We have bears in the Cibola National Forest near our community of Jamestown. One bear was hit recently by a vehicle when it tried to cross Interstate 40 near our community. Personally, I have not seen any bears while driving in Six Mile Canyon of the national forest.

The bear attack took place near the community of Crystal, which is in the Chuska Mountains.  

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported:

Black bears attacked two people in New Mexico this week, killing one, as drought conditions continue to drive the animals out of their habitat, increasing human-bear encounters.

The fatality occurred Thursday in Crystal on the Navajo Nation in northwestern New Mexico, The Guardian reported Friday. The victim has not been identified.

It was only the second fatal bear attack reported in a century. The last was 25 years ago.

Navajo Nation police officers killed the bear, according to the report. Tribal officials did not respond to The New Mexican’s inquiry Friday about the incident.

To read more, go here. 

Fatal Collision On I-40 Down The Hill

 

The above accident happened last night just down the hill from our community.

Apparently, a wrong-way drunk driver collided with a semi-truck on the eastbound Interstate 40 lanes. Another semi-truck was also involved. It was hit by the first semi. One lane in each direction were closed for several hours. 

I was able to see a long line of stopped vehicles in the eastbound lanes from my kitchen window.

For details, go here.

RV Travel: 7 Ways To Accidentally Die In Your RV

Hardly a week goes by that a news report about someone getting killed in an RV, either in a motorhome or a towable, is posted online or in the news.

RV Travel in today's Newsletter spells out seven ways to accidentally die in an RV.

They start with:

We all know it can be a dangerous world out there and we know that driving or towing an RV can be fraught with mortal accidents. This isn’t about the driving hazards of low bridges, wrong turns, road construction, tire blowouts or errant drivers. There are other ways to accidentally die in an RV. Here they are.

To read further, go here. 

Run For The Wall Participant Killed In Lupton, Arizona

Above, 2022 Run For The Wall participants at the Flying J. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yesterday, when I went to the Flying J to get my mail, I saw bikers of the Run For the Wall motorcycle ride.

This is an annual event supporting veterans and their families.

Unfortunately, the ride had a tragic incident near Lupton, Arizona yesterday. Lupton is at the Arizona-New Mexico border and the location of Tee Pee Trading Post.

The Navajo Times reported:

A participant in the 2025 Run For The Wall motorcycle ride was involved in a fatal accident Thursday as the group made its way toward Gallup, according to a police source.

Run For The Wall, or RFTW, is a cross-country motorcycle ride held annually to honor veterans, their families, and to raise awareness of service members who are still Prisoners of War or Missing in Action. The ride begins in Ontario, California, and concludes 10 days later at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

The accident occurred along Interstate 40, and a large portion of the RFTW riders were seen about a mile from the scene.

Above, yours truly with then-Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace at the 2022 Run For The Wall.

To read the full story, go here. 

Cruise Passenger Dies After Fatal Jet Ski Accident

Above, yours truly on a jet ski at Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas last summer.

A female jet-skier was killed at a private island owned by the Carnival Corporation. She was part of a Carnival cruise to Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas.

A friend and I jet-skied last August at a similar Bahamas cay owned by Norwegian Cruise Line. 

According to Cruise Blog:

According to Eyewitness News, an investigation is underway following the tragic accident that took place on March 22, 2025. 

Police in Eleuthra were contacted by the island's manager shortly after 1:00pm. Once they arrived on Half Moon Cay, the officers conducted an initial investigation that revealed the British/Czechoslovakia national allegedly lost control of her jet ski and collided with a rock. 

Though medical personnel were on the scene, they weren't able to revive the passenger. She was pronounced deceased by the local medical doctor. 

If the jet ski she was riding was like the ones we used, it is easy to see how she lost control of it. Those are more powerful machines compared to one I rode in Lake Havasu several years ago.  

To read more, go here.

No. 1 Cause Of Death In National Parks?

Above, motorhomes driving through Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Fatalities in our national parks make news, especially if caused by wildlife, falls and drownings. But, interestingly, the top cause of fatalities among national park visitors is by vehicular accidents.

According to National Parks Traveler:

The greatest risk to your life in a national park is not a grizzly bear, not a rattlesnake, and not having a heart attack. No, the greatest risk to your life is being in a vehicle heading down the road, according to the National Park Service.

Mortality data collected from the National Park System from 2014 through 2019 turned up 2,149 deaths overall, with 370 deaths related to driving. Drowning was responsible for 314 deaths during that time period, while hiking contributed 255 deaths, with falls accounting for 206 deaths, the Park Service says. There also were 381 suicides in the parks during those years, and 25 murders.

The covered years provide the most recently available data, as the Park Service notes it can take some time to validate the reports that come in from across the National Park System. 

To read more, go here. 

Fatality Yesterday In Prewitt, NM On I-40

Above, yesterday's fatal accident in Prewitt.

The accident yesterday morning in Prewitt, New Mexico that caused the closure of the eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 at Thoreau resulted in a fatality.

According to a post by Ferguson Law:

Prewitt, NM (February 7, 2023) - A car accident outside of Prewitt on Tuesday morning, February 7, resulted in a fatality. 

The deadly crash was reported on Interstate 40 EB near NM-412. The roads were reportedly slippery due to snow and inclement weather. The site was temporarily closed and traffic was routed to NM-122. 

At least one person involved in the crash was killed. At this time, the number of involved parties has not been made public. No further information on the accident has been provided at this time. 

Local authorities are handling the ongoing investigation into the cause of the crash. 

We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased victim at this time.

Above, another view of yesterday's accident.

I had a feeling that a fatality was involved while we were stuck in the resulting traffic jam. Interstates in New Mexico are generally not closed due to accidents unless the vehicles are blocking all lanes or a fatality is involved. 

We noticed that semi trucks kept speeding along at 70 mph (at least) in snowy/icy conditions. Those jackass drivers never seem to want to slow down to safe speeds.