Albert A. Aguilera and Marcelino M. Gamino die in fatal Santa Teresa military vehicle crash

Albert A. Aguilera and Marcelino M. Gamino die in fatal Santa Teresa military vehicle crash

Fatal Santa Teresa military vehicle crash death of Albert A. Aguilera and Marcelino M. Gamino – Obituary

Lance Corporals Albert A. Aguilera, 22, from Riverside, California, and Marcelino M. Gamino, 28, of Fresno, California, were killed in a military vehicle accident on April 15 near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. The two Marines, both combat engineers with the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, were riding in a Jeep truck as part of a convoy traveling west on Highway 9 under Border Patrol escort.

According to the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office, the Jeep was the last vehicle in the convoy and attempted to pass a large commercial truck. The driver, 19-year-old Zeth Collins, swerved onto the south shoulder to avoid an oncoming vehicle while trying to overtake the truck. This evasive maneuver led the Jeep to crash into a wall of a ditch, causing severe front-end damage and bending the rear bed of the vehicle upward from the impact.

All three Marines were transported to a hospital in El Paso, where Aguilera and Gamino were declared dead. Collins survived but sustained serious injuries. Investigators cited improper passing and driver inattention as key factors in the crash, though the vehicle had been traveling at the posted speed limit.