Argument led to crash in west of Phoenix

Two semi-trucks crashed on Interstate 10 and one of those trucks burst into flames. The driver of that truck was killed in the crash which kept the eastbound lanes of freeway closed for hours Wednesday morning.The first accident scene was a few miles east of those semis and investigators believe the backup is what caused those semi-trucks to crash.This was all thanks to a very bizarre chain of events. The first accident was the result of a man fighting with his family about 20 miles west of Phoenix near MC 85.

Just before the crash, the driver let his mother-in-law and daughter out on the side of I-10."The vehicle then got back on the roadway at a high rate of speed and just for whatever reason whether between lane changes or on purpose, we are not sure, made contact with that second vehicle and caused it to roll," said Sgt. Jason Yeager of the Department of Public Safety.

A mother and her five children were in the second vehicle. All of them were ejected and taken to an area hospital. Two required surgery.None of the children were wearing their seatbelts -- something authorities always stress, but even more so during the holidays."One of those individuals..the first walked away 'cause she was wearing her seat belt and unfortunately, a lot of the other people did not," said Yeager.

About 45 minutes later, with the freeway closed and traffic backed up, a semi-truck slammed into another semi and burst into flames, killing the driver.The burned semi was carrying furniture. The other was hauling drywall. The driver of that truck wasn't seriously hurt.As for the 35-year-old driver, whose argument with family members started all of this, he remains hospitalized. The rest of his family is okay.

"Going into the holidays, it is the last thing you really want to hear about. It is unfortunate. A misunderstanding between two people could turn into something so big," said Yeager.
Once the 35-year-old is able to be released from the hospital, he is expected to be booked on a number of charges, including aggravated assault.The semi-truck driver who died and the family with five children are all from California.