ALBUQUERQUE— A 17-year-old St. Michael's student— whom his father called his "shining star"— died Friday after he crashed his SUV on Interstate 25 near Tramway.
Jensen Brown was killed while driving south on the highway when he ran into the back of a safety escort vehicle that was following a street sweeper, Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department spokesman David Knowles said.
Brown had just moved into the right lane and apparently hit the escort vehicle at an angle, Knowles said. Brown died from his injuries, which included head trauma.
The two other passengers in the vehicle— Eric Fishback and Gabriel Patterson, both 17— survived the crash and were taken to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque for treatment of minor injuries.
All three boys were students at St. Michael's.
Knowles said there is no indication that drugs or alcohol were involved in the collision, and it is still unclear why Brown crashed. He said the escort vehicle was equipped with a lighted sign to alert drivers it was there.
The crash happened at about 11 a.m., and I-25 southbound was closed at the Bernalillo exit until about 1:45 p.m.
About 10 minutes later, a motorcyclist also traveling south on I-25 crashed and had to be airlifted to UNMH, Sandoval County Sheriff John Paul Trujillo said.
Neil Odon of Santa Fe was likely still in the midst of traffic from the first crash when he lost control of his motorcycle and went end over end, Trujillo said. No other vehicles were involved in the crash, which caused traffic to be diverted into Algodones from about 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Odon, who is in his 60s, was wearing a helmet but still suffered head injuries and was in critical condition Friday night, Trujillo said.
Brown, who died in Friday's first crash, earned honorable mention All-State honors in Class 1A-3A as a defender while playing for the Horsemen soccer team last fall.
His father Merritt Brown, who serves as the team's coach, found it difficult to speak during a brief phone interview Friday.
"We're all grief stricken," the elder Brown said through tears. "We're gonna struggle, but we'll get through this."
Merritt Brown said his son will be missed.
"He was really a shining star in our lives," he said.
Brown, also a swimmer at St. Michael's, was described by those who knew him as a popular student who was well-respected.
"He was one of those kids that you're very fond of," St. Michael's athletic director Tom Manning said. "We have a lot of good ones here, and he was one of the great ones."
First-year swimming coach Linda Vigil said Brown would often provide her encouragement as she grew into her coaching job at the private school.
"I have countless e-mails from him," Vigil said. "He would write, 'Coach, you're doing such a good job.' ''
"He always had my back."
Vigil said Brown was a great person to have on the team, but joked that there was one type of swimming routine he despised doing.
"He hated doing kicking sets," Vigil said of the leg workout that includes a kick board. "He just had lead feet. He would kick and kick and kick and he wouldn't move."
Vigil laughed while recalling the conversations she had with Brown as he did the exercises.
"I would say, 'I'll just stay here and talk to you since you're not moving,' '' she recalled. "We would have the longest conversations."
