AHWATUKEE, AZ – DPS officials said westbound lanes on State Route 202 at Pecos Road were re-opened at 9:20 p.m. Thursday, several hours after a fatal crash.
DPS Spokesperson Harold Sanders identified the driver of a Lincoln passenger car that collided head-on with a dump truck Thursday as 31-year-old Brian Evans, of Chandler.
A good samaritan at the scene, Army retiree Alan Blume, was with Evans just before he died and wanted to let the man's family know he didn't die alone.
"We were there with him, my daughter and I both, along with some other people up at the (nearby) park. We did a prayer for him and his family," Blume said.
The deadly accident had shut down traffic on a busy road near Interstate 10 for several hours.
Sanders said his department received 9-1-1 reports just before 3 p.m. of an erratic driver traveling at high speeds and making unsafe lane changes on State Route 202 from Guadalupe.
The vehicle involved was described as a Lincoln passenger car.
SEE PICTURES FROM THE CRASH SCENE IN THE ATTACHED PHOTO SLIDESHOWSanders said the driver of the Lincoln lost control of the vehicle for an unknown reason on Pecos Road where the 202 comes to an end and intersects with Interstate 10.
According to Sanders, the Lincoln hit a cable barrier and crossed the median into the eastbound travel lanes where it drove head-on into a dump truck and came to a stop.
Sanders said it is unknown at this time whether or not impairment was a factor in the collision.
The driver of the Lincoln was confirmed dead at the scene. The driver of the dump truck received minor injuries, according to Sanders.
Video from ABC15 showed the smashed front end of the Lincoln in the eastbound lanes of the road.
Video also showed the car’s engine about 100 yards away, sitting in the westbound lanes of the road.
Two other vehicles were involved in the crash, but not directly connected to the initial collision, Sanders said.
A car traveling eastbound behind the dump truck traveled off the road to avoid colliding with the truck, and another was hit by flying debris from the initial head-on collision. Both vehicles sustained minor damages, but no injuries were reported.
The east and westbound travel lanes for SR 202 remained closed for several hours Thursday as crews attended to the scene.
