By Roger Lanse

Silver City Police Department officers were dispatched to Juniper Street and Silver Heights Blvd. on Friday, May 17, 2024, at 8:16 p.m. in reference to a motor vehicle accident involving a pedestrian. According to an SCPD incident report, when officers arrived on scene, they observed a female, later identified as Miranda Ybarra, 30, of Silver City, lying on Juniper Street. Ybarra was described by officers as having severe leg injuries and cuts throughout her body.

Officers made contact with the driver, Jeanne Martin, 81, of Silver City. She stated after crossing the intersection of Juniper Street and Silver Heights Blvd, she continued north on Juniper Street and did not see Ybarra crossing Juniper Street and did not have time to stop to avoid a collision.

A witness told officers she and her boyfriend were walking on Silver Heights Blvd. near the accident and observed Ybarra walking in the middle of Juniper Street where there is no crosswalk when she was struck by Martin's vehicle, a white 2008 Ford Ranger. The witness waited on scene until officers arrived.

While EMS personnel were treating Ybarra, they advised the officers she appeared to have two broken legs, a shattered femur, and possibly a broken hip. EMS advised Ybarra was going to be flown to University Medical Hospital in El Paso and be transported to Grant County Airport for flight transport due to the severity of her injuries.

The report said, CYFD employees felt comfortable with placing Ybarra's 2-year-old son, who was at another location, with the child's grandmother, and attempt to contact Ybarra at UMC to let her know how her son was doing.

The report states neither driver nor victim had consumed alcohol, and apparent contributing factors were listed as driver inattention and pedestrian error.