I had a job in the oil patch in the Fort Stockton area in November. I drove NM-18 then TX-18 south of state line in Texas. The road south of Jal, NM is abysmal on both sides of the border, especially from Jal to Kermit, TX. Single lane, full of deep potholes, traveled by very heavy semis, etc. Because we were short a pickup due to a collision with a deer, I needed to take my personal pickup. On the road, especially after dark, you can not see potholes and can’t avoid them due to heavy, continual traffic and lack of shoulders. When the job was over, I went to have a wheel alignment and found front end rods were bent. And I had a cracked windshield due to trucks traveling at 70 mph throwing up rocks from the potholes. Of course, all repairs were charged to the company.
During my travels back and forth on
285 I’ve lost 4 windshields. I had
one big rock come thru, and land in
the passenger seat. I saw the rock
stuck between the duals before it
flew out. I’ve also witnessed several
bad accidents. Mostly from impatient
drivers trying to pass the big rigs.
I know full well what you experienced.