A two-vehicle collision on Highway 191, early this past Sunday morning at approximately 7:00 AM, left one person dead and three others injured.
According to a DPS investigation, a silver 2002 Volkswagen Jetta that was driven by a 16-year-old juvenile from Safford was northbound on highway 191, near milepost 108, when the Jetta drifted in to the Southbound lane. A Southbound vehicle was able to swerve out of the Jetta’s way but a maroon 2004 Isuzu Rodeo traveling behind the Southbound vehicle was unable to avoid a collision with the Jetta.
The two vehicles collided at a high rate of speed with the Jetta colliding with the driver’s side of the Rodeo. Both vehicles went into a spin. All occupants were wearing seat belts.
The juvenile driver of the Jetta was transported by Lifeline Ambulance to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center and then flown to Banner University Medical Center in Tucson. A news release stated that the juvenile driver of the Jetta died from his injuries on Monday, January 14th.
An 18-year-old passenger in the Jetta was taken to Mt. Graham by family members where he was treated for minor injuries and released.
The 59-year-old male driver of the Isuzu was flown to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center and then flown to UMC where he was admitted with multiple fractures to his face and jaw, along with a fractured jaw and collapsed lung. His 63-year-old passenger was taken to Mt. Graham by ambulance where he was treated for chest pains and released. Both men in the Isuzu were from Clifton.
DPS is continuing their investigation into the accident.
