PHOENIX — A man has died, and two other people are hurt after a serious crash on Tuesday morning in west Phoenix.
Phoenix police say they were called to the intersection of 27th Avenue and Indian School Road around 11:45 a.m. Tuesday for a reported multi-vehicle crash.
According to investigators, Lee Arthur Simmons Jr., 48, was believed to have been driving eastbound on Indian School Road when he failed to stop at a red light, colliding with two other vehicles that were stopped. The impact of the crash reportedly pushed the vehicles into the intersection, colliding with other vehicles that were headed southbound.
One of the victim drivers, 60-year-old Richard Alejo Lovato, was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Lovato’s family said he was a son, a father, a brother and grandfather who loved to dance and bring smiles to his family.
"He was a loving person,” sister Annette Lovato said.
“He loved his grandkids a lot. He really adored them,” daughter Christina Lovato said. “It doesn’t feel real at all, it’s my dad.”
Two other men were hospitalized, including one who was struck by a vehicle or debris during the collision while crossing Indian School Road, leaving him with serious injuries.
Simmons Jr. was booked into jail on numerous charges and processed for DUI.
According to court paperwork, a search warrant was issued to image the event data recorder of Simmons Jr's Mercedes, which showed it was traveling at 94 miles per hour before the crash and was going 62 miles per hour at the time of impact.
Court records show Simmons Jr. had a lengthy history of multiple prior DUI, drug and other charges.
He was sentenced to 10 years in 2015 for aggravated DUI.
Record checks on Simmons Jr also show his privilege to drive is suspended for failure to calibrate his ignition interlock device and that he has a current interlock restriction on his license.
“Don’t get behind that wheel because if you don't take your life, you're going to take an innocent person's life, and it's not just their life you're taking, but you're ruining their family's life,” Christina Lovato said. “Because now we lost somebody that we really love.”
Simmons Jr. is facing multiple charges, including aggravated assault and second-degree murder.
Lovato’s family is raising money for his funeral expenses.
Want more news in your community? Add ABC15 as a preferred source on Google below:
