East El Paso Crash Driver Dies Weeks Later, Becomes City's Latest Loop 375 Fatality

A 68-year-old Horizon man has died six weeks after a five-vehicle crash tore through the intersection of Joe Battle Boulevard and Montwood Drive in East El Paso, police confirmed. Glen Archer had been driving a 2019 Ford Ranger at a high rate of speed when he attempted to turn right onto the 12200 block of Montwood, setting off a chain-reaction collision that injured five people and, weeks later, claimed his life.

According to KFOX, Archer's Ranger struck a 2019 Honda Ridgeline that was traveling east on Montwood, and the force of that impact sent both vehicles crossing into the westbound lanes before slamming into a 2016 Chevy Silverado, a 2009 Honda Ridgeline, and a 2007 Jeep Wrangler that were stopped at a red light. Archer's truck also struck a raised median during the chaos. The crash originally occurred on Loop 375, also known as Joe Battle Boulevard, on July 14, at a stretch of roadway that Hoodline has previously reported is monitored under TxDOT's HERO incident response program because of its high traffic volume and history of severe collisions.

Five Hurt, One Truck's Passenger Killed

The other drivers and passengers involved were identified as 77-year-old Maria Deanda, 31-year-old Ponce Christian of East El Paso, 41-year-old Juan Manuel Goyta of East El Paso, 23-year-old Nathan Archer of Horizon, and 64-year-old Elsa Rubalcaba Ortega Rosa of East El Paso. Deanda, Christian, Rosa, and Nathan Archer were all transported to local hospitals, while Goyta, the driver of the Jeep Wrangler, was not injured, nor was a passenger riding in the 2009 Honda Ridgeline. Glen Archer himself was also taken to a local hospital following the initial crash.

Animal control later removed a deceased canine from the 2019 Honda Ridgeline involved in the wreck, per the outlet's reporting. The El Paso Police Department reported that Archer ultimately died as a result of injuries suffered in the crash, and the county medical examiner's office provided information confirming that his death was a result of the collision. Police announced Archer's death publicly on Tuesday, six weeks after the initial July 14 crash.

A Corridor With A Troubled Safety Record

Archer's death adds to a grim tally for El Paso's roads this year. By mid-August, the police department's Special Traffic Investigations unit had recorded at least 36 traffic fatalities citywide in 2026, and Loop 375 in particular has become a recurring site of severe wrecks. Hoodline reported another fatal speed-related crash on the same corridor in July that killed two 24-year-old men, and just weeks ago a wrong-way driver triggered a rollover crash that shut down the ramp connecting Interstate 10 to Loop 375.

El Paso County consistently ranks among the top 10 counties in Texas for traffic fatalities, according to data compiled by Abrar and Vergara, which found the county recorded 18,344 total motor vehicle crashes and 80 traffic deaths in 2024. Citywide, El Paso Police Department data reported by KTSM in July found that driving while intoxicated accounts for roughly 35% of all traffic fatalities in the city, despite making up less than 1% of total crashes.

City's Vision Zero Push And State Reporting Rules

The City of El Paso adopted a Vision Zero Action Plan in 2023 aimed at identifying high-injury roadway networks and redesigning dangerous corridors, with the long-term goal of eliminating traffic deaths. The city's own Vision Zero tracking data shows that non-TxDOT roadways within city limits recorded 121,194 total collisions and 210 traffic fatalities from 2021 through mid-2026. Statewide, crash frequency remains staggering: data cited by Hamilton Wingo shows that a reportable crash occurs on Texas roads every 57 seconds, with a traffic fatality every two hours and seven minutes.

Under Texas Transportation Code § 550.062, investigating officers are legally required to submit an official crash report to the Texas Department of Transportation within 10 days of any collision resulting in injury, death, or property damage exceeding $1,000. That reporting mandate explains how officials track and analyze wrecks like the one that eventually claimed Archer's life, even as the delayed fatality determination pushed the case's final classification six weeks past the original crash date.