7 die in head-on collision on I-10 near Phoenix

East Valley Tribune, ^ | July 29, 2012 | Associated Press

[skully]

HOENIX (AP) — Seven people have died in a crash on Interstate 10 near Phoenix after a semitrailer truck crossed the highway's median and struck a van head on.

Carrick Cook, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, says the victims were all inside the van when the crash happened Sunday about 60 miles west of Phoenix.

[eyedigress]

Good Lord. That is still west of Buckeye.

[Loud Mime]

The driver and his wife, who were hauling cases of soda, fled the cab of the truck after the vehicles were propelled off the roadway down a six-foot embankment before the van and cab burst into flames, said Carrick R. Cook, Department of Public Safety public information officer."

Sodas Kill?

[eyedigress]

Doubtful at 60mi west, Maricopa will respond anyway.

[Loud Mime]

A different, horrible head-on collision

[beelzepug]

“...they’ve started erecting cable “catch” fences in the median.”

You ought to see what the cable fences do to a motorcyclist. It’s like going through a cheese slicer.

[2111USMC]

A motorcyclist doesn't have much of a chance in just about any situation.

That's one of the reasons I gave up riding years ago.

[anathemized]

5 years or so ago there were reported in AZ, monthly crashes of overloaded vehicles with UDAs dead, injured, or fled the scene, not so much now, although one in TX last week.

This seems to be a tired trucker hitting a Western AZ family or group heading to the big city for shopping, a ball game, family, or some such.

[dr_lew]

How did a semi-tractor trailer cross the wide no-man’s-land median between the divided highways?

Local coverage shows the tracks and other shots near the scene in the video segment.

[Conservative4Ever]

In my neck of the woods west of palm springs in the pass area. I10 has been closed down to one lane for miles every night. I had to shoot across three lanes from my on ramp to merge in the open lane and pray a semi didn’t hit me. That was the return trip going west. Half hour earlier heading east the lanes merged to one so quickly I was hugging the closed lane by the cones while semi’s screamed past. There was finally a gap in traffic so I could gun it and merge. Kinda unnerving to say the least. I am amazed no one has been killed or injured.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Those catch fences sound like a good idea. I hope it catches on here. People are too distracted these days while driving and this stuff is happening too often.

[fella]

If I remember right that's a long stretch of straight road out in the desert.

[Straight8]

Ask Bloomberg.

[HiJinx]

No, but I’ve ben offline for a coupla days...

60 miles west is in the Tonopah area. That’s a desolate stretch and I can easily see a trucker falling asleep...or having a medical episode. This is truly sad.

[Bittersweet]

That is an insensitive statement!! It happens to be a mother of 5 children & her mother from a small town that I’m from. They were Native Americans!! Should know your facts before you make a statement like that.

[Bittersweet]

skully: that message was for you not Emperor. Sorry about that. I didn’t care for that comment about legals.