Rollover accident with fatality: I-10 / Wild Horse Pass Rd.

[Chunk]

Channel 3 is announcing a bad accident on I-10.  Since there appears to be a fatality, that means I-10 is CLOSED for several hours while they do an investigation.  The travel direction is unknown whether it is east or westbound lanes that are closed.  Traffic is of course backed up at the QC bridge and if you have Beas list of ways out of town, now would be a good time to pull it out.  For those of you working downtown, take Riggs / 51st today, thats how Amy is going.

Make the call to work people, you will be late today.

[Desert Dweller]

Definitely closed.  I forgot to gas up the helicopter yesterday so I am going to work from home for at least the morning.

Here is some more news:  http://www.kpho.com/news/24823810/detail.html

[Sam]

Just take 347 across I-10 onto Queen Creek and go to Price.  Turn left and you'll be at the 101 and 202 in a mile and a half.

[mallardisme]

MPD is saying that 347 is hosed as well. I-10 will be down to one lane until around 10 or later just north of Queen Creek.

[mallardisme]

The whole story was very sad. The worst part? No seatbelts for the kids that were transported. The driver was wearing one, but the crash was such that they could not save her life.
The kids, on the other hand, were thrown 50 feet from the crash.

The crash did not have to be nearly as bad as it was.

You have them in your car. Use them. Have you belted your child today?

http://ktar.com/category/local-news-articles/20100831/Accident-closes-WB-I~10-near-Queen-Creek
PHOENIX -- An SUV carrying a California family home from vacation flipped off Interstate 10 in the southeast Valley Tuesday morning, closing the westbound freeway for about five hours and slowing rush hour traffic to a crawl.

The driver, a 33-year-old southern California woman, was killed. Seven passengers, including four children, were injured. They are expected to survive, authorities said.

"This is a family returning from a vacation in Mexico to their home in the Los Angeles area of California," said Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer Robert Bailey. "Basically had four children, two parents and two grandparents in the car."

Bailey said the driver veered off the roadway and overcorrected before the SUV rolled several times, throwing two children about 50 feet away and pinning one person under the vehicle.

"We have not ruled out fatigue," he said.

Three medical helicopters and several ambulances rushed to the wreck near Queen Creek Road shortly after 5 a.m. Traffic was backed up two miles within minutes.

The interstate was fully reopened about 10 a.m.

The children in the vehicle were two boys, ages 18 months and 9 years, and two girls, ages 6 and 15 years, Bailey said.

Only the driver and the front seat passenger were wearing restraints, he said.

Numerous fire trucks from several departments responded to the crash.

Watch 3-TV video of the crash scene:

[Havikats]

I never get this. I used to tell my son that the vehicle didn't/couldn't move until all seatbelts were on.
It eventually got to the point where he just automatically did up his seatbelt.
Mama was buckled up, but the kids weren't?
How do you transport an 18-month-old without a seatbelt?
So very sad for everyone.
I hope their injuries aren't life-long.

[Tigg]

On top of the lack of seatbelt use, I'm curious what type of vehicle it was.  There aren't many vehicles that can properly hold 8 people.  Most SUVs that I know of, that have 3 rows, hold 2 in the front, 2 in the middle and 3 in the back row.  I think there are a few that are designed to seat 8, but certainly not many.  If you aren't going to have everyone seatbelted in, you shouldn't be driving.  So sad

[KendoPt4]

I read it was a Chevy Tahoe.

[Tempting Fait]

Some come with either a full front or middle bench seat that do hold 8.

[-]

I agree Karen.. how do you not have your children restrained? Especially how do you not have an 18 month old? Very sad indeed.

I taught Ean very early on about wearing a seat belt.. I'm a mean mom.. he took it off while I was driving and I purposely made a manuever to make him fly out of his seat and hit the van side door he was sitting next too. I was on a neighboorhood street incase anyone wants to flame me for that.. anyway, first thing he does, puts his seat belt on, and now even yells at daddy when he hasn't put his on.

[Pet Social Worker]

How horrible.  =(

Our Durango held 8 passengers & so does our Pilot.  I'm a big girl, so I won't say it's "comfortably" but we've done it & it's worked well for short drives.  I would recommend it for road trips or anything.

[Sam]

On top of the lack of seatbelt use, I'm curious what type of vehicle it was.  There aren't many vehicles that can properly hold 8 people.  Most SUVs that I know of, that have 3 rows, hold 2 in the front, 2 in the middle and 3 in the back row.  I think there are a few that are designed to seat 8, but certainly not many.  If you aren't going to have everyone seatbelted in, you shouldn't be driving.  So sad

According to the DPS, it was a 1993 Chevy Suburban.

[the.pixie.stick.chick]

I taught Ean very early on about wearing a seat belt.. I'm a mean mom.. he took it off while I was driving and I purposely made a manuever to make him fly out of his seat and hit the van side door he was sitting next too. I was on a neighboorhood street incase anyone wants to flame me for that.. anyway, first thing he does, puts his seat belt on, and now even yells at daddy when he hasn't put his on.

i've done this with both my oldest. only one time apiece was necessary.
 

[-]

I taught Ean very early on about wearing a seat belt.. I'm a mean mom.. he took it off while I was driving and I purposely made a manuever to make him fly out of his seat and hit the van side door he was sitting next too. I was on a neighboorhood street incase anyone wants to flame me for that.. anyway, first thing he does, puts his seat belt on, and now even yells at daddy when he hasn't put his on.

i've done this with both my oldest. only one time apiece was necessary.
 

I knew you would understand It worked!

[mallardisme]

With us and Daniel, we would tell him a very tragic story that we went through several years before he was born.

A very good friend of ours, Sandy Kopf and her husband were driving from Palmdale to their home in LA. Sandy was a very strong woman, although a bit frail from a stroke she suffered years before.
She never wore her seatbelt. Ever.

Well, during that drive, someone hit them. Doug, who was bucked in and suffered a broken neck, was conscious long enough to see his wife, who had been thrown from the car, die, alone, in a ditch on the side of the road.

All the reports showed that she would probably have suffered none to minor injuries if she had just buckled the damn belt.

Daniel can tell you that story anytime someone in the car does not want to wear a seatbelt.

We very much missed Sandy at our wedding.  She and Doug were looking forward to attending. They knew each of us individually and then as a couple.

Just wear the damn belt! It does not show a sign of weakness, in fact it denotes intelligence and care about yourself and those around you.