The new year in El Paso opened on a sorrowful note with the city recording its first traffic fatality just a day into 2026. According to official reports, the El Paso Police Department responded to a fatal two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Gateway North and Sean Hagerty on January 1st. Tragically, 18-year-old Angelique Diaz De Leon was pronounced dead at the scene when officers arrived.
The preliminary findings indicate that an eastbound Chevy Camaro driven by Sean Hagerty was struck by a pickup truck as it passed through the intersection, resulting in a violent T-bone collision. The driver of the Camaro, subsequently identified as Ramirez, suffered minor injuries and was taken to the local hospital for treatment. Investigators are still piecing together the events that led to this tragic incident, and they have cited a red-light violation by Garcia, the driver of the pickup truck, as a potential contributing factor.
Additionally, there are concerns that alcohol may have played a role in the accident, and this aspect remains under active investigation. The fatal impact of this junction's breach of traffic law brings to light once again the dangers of roadway indiscretions. This is the very first fatality registered by the city's traffic department this year. At the same point last year, there had been one fatality as well, underscoring a sobering continuity in the count of lives claimed by the streets.
