Belen man in hospital after fall from pickup

Belen

A Belen man is in serious condition after he sustained life-threatening injuries Saturday when he fell out of a moving truck.

Richard Foreman, 42, sustained massive head injuries after he reportedly fell out of his truck while driving on NM 314 near Martha Jean Drive Saturday afternoon. Forman’s condition has been upgraded from critical to serious, according to a University of New Mexico Hospital spokeswoman.

Belen Police Chief Paul Skotchdopole said Foreman and his wife, Angela, were in their 1976 Dodge pickup truck when he suddenly lost consciousness.

“Mr. Foreman was driving, and his wife was in the passenger seat,” Skotchdopole said. “He was taking a drink from a Coke when he started to gag. From what we’ve been able to understand, Mr. Foreman passed out before he fell out of the truck.”

According to police reports, the driver’s side door had a history of malfunctioning and would suddenly open. As a precaution, the couple had placed a blanket between the door and the seat.

“After watching her husband fall out of the truck, the wife immediately slid over and stopped the truck and went back to where her husband was,” Skotchdopole said. “When Mr. Foreman fell, he sustained massive head injuries.”

Because of the seriousness of Foreman’s injuries, he was taken to the hospital by Lifeguard helicopter.

Skotchdopole said the investigation into the accident is ongoing.