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DPS: Wrong-way crash injures 4 in Mesa; driver admits to taking drugs

Posted at 12:07 PM, Apr 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-04 22:11:44-04

Authorities say four people were badly injured in a wrong-way crash along Loop 202 late last month. 

The crash occurred after 1 a.m. on March 29 shutting down Loop 202 in east Mesa near the US 60. 

According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, a vehicle was reportedly driving reckless in the median. 

An off-duty Phoenix officer saw the incident and tried to intervene, but the car driven by 21-year-old Javier Camarena sped away. 

He reportedly drove through the median, headed northbound in the southbound lanes on the Loop 202. 

At that point, he struck a vehicle with three people inside. 

The driver broke his legs in three places, a female passenger sustained a fractured spine, while a male passenger suffered a broken back, court paperwork said.

Camerena, who allegedly told fire personnel that he had taken "acid" and was driving for a long time, suffered from a collapsed lung. Camarena was arrested the next day at the hospital.  

The freeway was blocked for several hours for the investigation.