Lake Havasu City, AZ : Three people killed in head-on collision in State Route 95 on Saturday October 22 2016

Three are dead after a head-on vehicle collision Saturday evening on State Route 95.

According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, a silver Ford was traveling south in the wrong lane of traffic, and into the path of an oncoming gray Nissan SUV. Both vehicles swerved onto the northbound shoulder to avoid the collision, where they met near milepost 196.3.

Fire crews from two Desert Hills Fire Stations, as well as the Lake Havasu City Fire Department were dispatched to the accident at about 5:30 p.m.

Lake Havasu City Battalion Chief Mike Quijada said the Ford’s male driver may have died on impact. A bystander attempted to help the SUV’s two surviving female passengers.

“The passerby tried to help the younger of the two women,” Quijada said. “She said she was fine, and asked him to get her mom out first. So he helped take the older of the two women out…she died about 50 feet away. He started to go back to help the other victim…the car burst into flames. He couldn’t get close enough to help her.”

Desert Hills Fire Captain David Rodriguez and his crew from Desert Hills Fire Station #2, in Havasu Heights, were among the first on the scene.

“When we pulled onto the scene, the SUV was completely engulfed,” Rodriguez said. “We used a hose to extinguish and cool the vehicle. Havasu Fire Department assisted us, but we canceled helicopter transport.”

Rodriguez has been working with the Desert Hills Fire Department since 2004, and this wasn’t his first fatal accident. “I always feel bad for the families involved,” Rodriguez said. “We just try to do our jobs to the best of our ability. It’s never good when something like this happens…we just put ourselves in the mindset of focusing on the job at hand, and complete our task.”

The impact of scenes such as Saturday’s accident can have a lasting impact on bystanders as well as the firefighters involved, Rodriguez said.

“In some instances, passersby have to see the worst of it,” Rodriguez said. “Our department has critical stress debriefs for our firefighters, but we’re also available to the public as well. If someone sees something, if they need to talk to someone, they can stop by the station anytime.”

The Department of Public Safety says the victims’ identifications and notification of their next of kin are pending the department’s investigation.

Source :
3 killed in head-on collision on State Route 95