Woman killed in head-on collision

Thursday, Aug. 19, 1999 | 10:10 a.m.

A woman who was killed in a head-on collision on Blue Diamond Road after apparently falling asleep at the wheel while en route to work has been identified as Annette Clement, 25, of Pahrump.

Nevada Highway Patrol investigators said the cause of Wednesday's 4:55 a.m. crash west of Buffalo Drive appears to have been driver fatigue or inattentiveness.

The driver of the other car, Nicholas Rosen, 22, also of Pahrump, is in serious but stable condition at University Medical Center where he and Clement were taken by emergency helicopter.

Clement was en route to work at a construction firm at The Lakes while Rosen was en route home, NHP spokesman Scott Flabi said.

Because of inaccurate information provided by UMC, it was initially reported in Wednesday's Sun that two other people were injured in the crash and were in fair condition at the hospital.

There were no passengers in either vehicle, and no other injuries resulted from that accident, Flabi said.

The accident occurred on westbound Blue Diamond when Clement's eastbound 1981 Ford failed to negotiate a curve and drove straight across the westbound lanes into the path of Rosen's 1979 Oldsmobile, Flabi said.

The speedometer on Clement's car was frozen on 60 mph, Flabi said.

The Clark County Fire Department's heavy rescue team was called to the scene of the mangled wreck and had to extract the drivers with rescue tools.

Both Rosen and Clement were conscious at the time they were flown to the hospital, a fire department official said.

Clement suffered multiple fractures, Flabi said, noting that doctors told him she most likely died from a lacerated aorta -- the major artery that carries blood from the heart to every vital organ except the lungs.

Rosen suffered a compound fracture of his right leg and broken toes. He had facial and head injuries.

Morning commuter traffic was snarled for about two hours. A single lane remained open while investigators examined the twisted debris and work crews cleaned it up.