Two killed in beltway crash

Jace Radke

Monday, March 26, 2001 | 11:14 a.m.

Two people were killed Sunday afternoon when two cars collided at the intersection of Durango Drive and the Las Vegas Beltway.

The fatal accident occurred about 3:30 p.m., when a Toyota 4-Runner heading west on the beltway struck a Lincoln Town Car, which was heading north on Durango through the intersection, a Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman said at the scene.

The force of the collision folded in the passenger side of the Lincoln and forced the sedan to strike cement barriers on the northwest corner of the intersection.

Leona Greif, 61, of Las Vegas, and Marcia Nathans, 65, of Las Vegas, who were in the Lincoln's front seat, died at the scene; two passengers in the back seat were extricated from the wreck by the Clark County Fire Department's heavy rescue crew.

Elliott Nathans, 44, of Las Vegas, was taken to University Medical Center, where he was listed in serious condition this morning. It took rescuers about 30 minutes to extricate the man trapped in the back seat on the passenger side, because the impact had compacted the front seat into his legs.

Karen Morris, 34, of Henderson, was treated and released at UMC. A 7-year-old passenger in the 4-Runner were taken to UMC with minor injuries, an NHP spokesman said.

The accident remains under investigation. One of the vehicles appears to have run a stoplight, and alcohol does not appear to be a factor, Trooper Alan Davidson said this morning.

Earlier Sunday Metro Police traffic officers responded to a nine-car accident on West Charleston Boulevard in which a man drove his pickup into a power pole.

The accident happened in the 5600 block of Charleston near Lindell Road about 12:30 p.m., Sgt. Monty Hall said.

"We had a report from a taxicab that a white pickup was driving recklessly on westbound Charleston and had run a red light at Decatur," Hall said. "The pickup apparently rear-ended a compact car, causing the small car to hit a sport utility vehicle and another pickup."

The driver of the white pickup tried to drive away, but traveled only about 300 feet before smashing into and toppling a wood power pole. The pole and power lines landed on the pickup and five cars parked at a strip mall on the north side of Charleston.

The downed lines and pole forced traffic to be detoured off Charleston for more than two hours as crews worked to replace the pole and reconnect the lines. Power was shut down at the shopping center until the new pole was installed, but Nevada Power engineers were able to redirect power to other area residents and businesses almost immediately.

The driver of the pickup will be charged with felony reckless driving and leaving the scene of the accident; he is suspected to have been under the influence of alcohol, Hall said.

The downed pole cut power to the City of Refuge Church of God and Christ, forcing about 20 parishioners outside. Among the church-goers was Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates, whose car was damaged by the fallen power pole.