New Mexico State Police responded to a single vehicle roll-over accident resulting in injuries to members of a Socorro family on Dec. 23. on I-25 near mile marker 171 at approximately 3:32 p.m.

According to State Police reports, Brian Wheeler, of Socorro, was driving a 2013 Toyota SUV with five family members as passengers, southbound and was attempting to pass a semi-truck. Wheeler told officers he believed ice on the road caused him to lose control of the SUV causing the vehicle to slide and roll over multiple times before landing on the passenger side with the front-end facing North. 19-year-old Breann Wheeler, who was in the third row of the vehicle, was ejected from the SUV causing serious injuries.

Upon arrival, the responding officer reported seeing a heavily damaged silver Toyota on the west shoulder of the southbound lane facing north. A woman was lying on the ground with people around her; some were reassuring her that she would be okay.

The report said, Socorro EMS arrived on the scene and began assessing the conditions of all the passengers. PHI was requested and declined due to the weather and Lifeguard air EMS arrived and landed on the closed lanes on Interstate 25. Breann Wheeler was transported to UNM hospital, said the report. The driver, Brian Wheeler, and front passenger, Antoinette Wheeler, were transported to the hospital by EMS.

Local coffee shop, Que Suave held a fundraiser for the family on Dec. 29 and posted a message on their Facebook page stating:
“As many of you may know, Breann Wheeler and her family were involved in an awful freak accident this past weekend. We are very grateful that the family is all alive, bruised but recovering. However, for Bree, she was the one who got the worst of it. She suffered a fractured vertebrae, broken ribs and an impacted spinal cord which resulted in the loss of feeling in her legs. She has gone through one surgery already that placed a bar in her back and repaired the spinal cord but this is a long road to recovery for her. Doctors are very optimistic for a full recovery in which they have given a time frame of 6 months to a year. We can only imagine the amount of medical bills and financial stress this is going to put on the family.”

A GoFundMe Me account has been set up for the family at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/medical-expenses-for-the-wheelers

Jessica Carranza Pino, Editor