CNJ staff
Police are investigating a single-vehicle crash early Saturday morning on Mabry Drive that may have contributed to the death of a 60-year-old Minnesota man.
Saul Lugo’s cause of death is still being investigated, according to police Capt. Patrick Whitney, because he had preexisting medical conditions that could have caused his death.
The crash was reported just before 2 a.m. in the 3800 block of Mabry Drive.
Whitney said the Lugo and his family were traveling eastbound in a GMC Suburban looking for a hotel for the night, when the family member who was driving lost control of the vehicle in the snow and icy conditions.
The vehicle struck a tree on the shoulder of the road.
Lugo was transported to Plains Regional Medical Center, where he died about three hours later, records show.
“He had preexisting medical condition and that may have caused his death; not the physical injuries from the crash,” Whitney said.
There were no obvious external injuries for police to conclude the crash was the direct cause of his death, Whitney said.
An autopsy will be performed to make a final determination.
Whitney said there were six people — three adults, three children — in the vehicle and the family had left El Paso on Friday, on their way to Wichita, Kans. when they decided to stop in Clovis to wait out the weather.
A child in the vehicle suffered a broken arm and Lugo’s wife was transported to a Lubbock hospital for injuries.
Whitney said he did not know her current medical condition.
