Arizona had yet another median crossover crash this past Friday, involving 13 people and this time, an Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) vehicle was involved in the incident.
The crash occurred on Interstate 40, an east-west Interstate that crosses Northern Arizona.
The driver of a minivan lost control of her vehicle Friday afternoon, and it rolled into an Arizona Department of Transportation vehicle as a trooper was monitoring traffic on I-40 near between Havasu and Topock, near milepost 8, just east of the Arizona/California border. There were 12 people inside the van.
“Two occupants of the mini-van were ejected,” Raul Garcia, a DPS public information officer, said.
All 12 occupants were taken to a local hospital, and three were flown to a trauma center in Las Vegas. One of the occupants suffered life-threatening injuries while most of the other occupants suffered minor, non-life threatening injuries. The trooper involved was not injured.
“He was monitoring westbound traffic when a westbound van approached his location. For an unknown reason, the driver of the minivan lost control of her vehicle, and it traveled into the median and rolled over. As the vehicle came to rest, it struck our patrol car, causing minor damage,” he said.
Garcia said Friday evening the investigation was in preliminary stages and there was no further information available.
Many stretches of interstate throughout Arizona lack median barriers (such as cable barriers) that would stop vehicles from crossing the median into oncoming traffic.
The Leader Law Firm has successfully tried several cases involving wrongful death on Arizona highways, resulting in multi-million dollar jury verdicts.
We will continue to advocate for median barrier installation on Arizona’s interstates, especially in areas with a high crash rate. If you’ve been involved in an accident on an Arizona highway, contact the Leader Law Firm for a free case evaluation.
