An accident involving two pickup trucks and a sedan has taken the life of four people and injured two others, authorities reported. The accident occurred around 10:30 p.m. June 19 on U.S. 70 between Safford and Globe.
According to reports, an 18-year-old man was driving a Dodge pickup truck pulling a flatbed trailer in an easterly direction on U.S. 70 while a Honda sedan containing five people was traveling in the opposite direction on the same road. The driver of the Dodge pickup allegedly failed to maintain his lane and crossed over the centerline into the path of the Honda. The sedan’s 50-year-old driver turned sharply left in an attempt to avoid a collision, but both vehicles collided on the passenger side. The Dodge pickup struck the guardrail on the westbound side with enough force that its trailer ended up on top of the guardrail, disconnected from the truck, while the Honda ended up against the guardrail on the eastbound side. A third vehicle, a Ford pickup truck driven by a 28-year-old man, crashed into the Dodge pickup.
All four passengers in the Honda died as a result of the accident. The drivers of both pickup trucks were taken to the hospital for treatment. The only person not reported to be injured in the accident was the driver of the Honda.
A fatal accident can occur without warning and can change many lives forever. Family members of victims are often left to deal with final expenses at the same time they are suffering a loss of companionship. When a person dies in an accident that results from the negligent conduct of another driver, the victim’s family may be able to seek compensation by filing a wrongful death claim. Even if the liable driver perished in the accident, it may still be possible to file a claim against his or her estate.
Source: ABC 15, “4 killed in 3-vehicle crash in Central Arizona”, June 20, 2014