Two Die In Morning Roll-Over Crash West of Phoenix
***Updated*** by Raul Garcia, Public Information Officer, on July 11, 2016, at 11:25 p.m.
None of the nine occupants were properly restrained and many of them were ejected from the SUV during the roll-over crash.
The deceased adult woman was the driver and was identified as 31-year-old Maria Del Carmen Chavez of Glendale, Arizona.
The deceased four-year-old boy was a Glendale, Arizona, resident.
An adult female and 13-year-old passenger were transported to Abrazo West Hospital.
Four children were transported by ground to Phoenix Children's Hospital (PCH).
One child was flown by helicopter to PCH.
Driver fatigue is suspected by investigators.
Buckeye, Ariz. – A sport utility vehicle (SUV) with nine occupants on board, rolled-over several times while traveling along I10, killing two people and injuring seven others. A four-year-old boy and a woman were killed during the roll-over crash.
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) responded to a report of the roll-over crash at approximately 11:00 a.m., eastbound along I10 at milepost 116. State troopers and other first responders arrived on-scene and coordinated the transportation of six patients by ground ambulance and one patient by helicopter to an area hospital.
When the SUV traveled into the median, the driver steered abruptly and over-corrected, initiating the deadly roll-over crash. Investigators are trying to determine why the SUV traveled into the median in the first place.
AZ DPS Captain Damon Cecil said, “This collision is a tragedy. Collisions can happen at any time and place. People always need to be prepared when driving our highways. Good driving habits, making sure the vehicle is functioning properly and always – always utilizing safety restraints go a long way in making for a safer trip ”
