Single-vehicle crash kills four near Sloan

Jace Radke

Monday, July 30, 2001 | 10:59 a.m.

Four people -- including a 3-year-old girl -- were killed and five others were injured Sunday night when the van in which they were riding ran off Interstate 15 about 15 miles south of Las Vegas.

The driver, Mehesh Goyal, 54, of Massachusetts, apparently lost control of the 2001 Chevrolet van about 7:35 p.m. just south of the Sloan exit ramp on northbound I-15, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Ken Twiddy said.

Five of the nine people in the van were thrown from the vehicle as it overturned, Twiddy said.

"All four of the fatalities were ejected from the vehicle, including a girl," he said.

Ompraksh Dani, 48, of India, Kanta Goyal, 49, of Massachusetts, and Srishti Agarwal, 3, of Massachusetts, died at the scene.

Phoolchand Garg, 61, was taken to University Medical Center but died about 8:30 p.m. as a result of his injuries.

Reena Agarwal, 28, of Massachusetts, who is several months pregnant, was listed in fair condition this morning. Rajeev Agarwal, 32, of Massachusetts, and Nirmala Dani, 45, of India, were treated and released. The driver and another passenger, Gulabchaud Garg, 65, of India, were treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released.

The van was traveling in the fast lane near the concrete barrier that separates the north and southbound lanes of the freeway, Twiddy said.

When the driver lost control the van overturned; it stopped right-side up with the front wheels and engine 3 feet off the ground on the barrier.

Twiddy said that the five people ejected in the crash, including the child, were probably not wearing seatbelts. He said that the investigation was ongoing.

The accident shut down traffic in both directions on I-15 for more than three hours. Southbound traffic was diverted at the Sloan exit, around the scene and back to the freeway; northbound traffic was diverted through a tractor-trailer weigh station and back onto the freeway.

Troopers investigating the accident will speak with the survivors and determine where the group was heading, said Trooper Alan Davidson, a highway patrol spokesman.