The Leader Law Firm is saddened to hear that a Federal law enforcement agent, Walterio Nuñez, died in a median crossover crash on I-19 on Friday, March 9, 2018. The crash occurred on I-19 between Pima Mine and Papago roads.

A crossover accident occurs when a vehicle traveling on a divided highway, leaves the roadway, goes through the median and enters opposing traffic lanes. Crossover accidents often result in catastrophic collisions, resulting in fatalities.

The number of crossover accidents can be reduced with the placement of cable median barriers. Cable median barriers, placed in areas prone to crossover crashes, can prevent up to 95% of crossover collisions.

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has been very slow to respond to a serious problem with crossover accidents on Arizona highways.

Interstate highways such as Interstate 10, Interstate 40 and Interstate 19, crisscross Arizona. Many stretches of our interstate highways lack median barriers. In response, the State of Arizona has placed warning signs, indicating areas of roadway that have “No Median Barriers.” The installation of actual cable median barriers to protect the public would help a lot more than the warning signs. No other state in the country has these types of warning signs.

The Leader Law Firm has been active in road design cases involving crossover accidents all over Arizona.

Juries in two Leader Law Firm cases have found that the State and ADOT have been negligent in their response to the problem of crossover crashes.

Our sincere condolences go out to Agent Walterio Nuñez’s family.