Friday, Aug. 16, 2002 | 11:21 a.m.
Had a concrete barrier existed, it might have saved the lives of a 23-year-old Las Vegas woman and her 4-year-old son Thursday, Nevada Highway Patrol officials said.
Spring Crothers was traveling south on U.S. 95 about 10:30 a.m. when she swerved to avoid a piece of rubber in the left lane. She lost control of her Ford Windstar minivan, causing it to cross the median and slam into a 35,000-pound dump truck headed the opposite direction, NHP Trooper Alan Davidson said.
The impact was strong enough to shear off the rear two axles of the dump truck, Davidson said.
Crothers and her son died at the scene. Her other son, age 16 months, survived and was transported to UMC Medical Center. Las Vegas resident Jose Gomez, the driver of the truck, walked away from the wreck.
Gomez, 34, declined to talk about the accident.
Davidson said that the accident would have been averted if a barrier had been in place. However, he said, the barrier could have caused another accident.
"It wouldn't have prevented an accident, but it would've kept her from traveling northbound," Davidson said.
There are no plans to place concrete barriers in the median, Bob McKenzie, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation, said.
Generally barriers are placed only when the median is less than 30 feet wide, McKenzie said. Davidson estimated the width of the median where Crothers lost control at 70 feet.
"That should allow most drivers to correct or stop," said McKenzie, who refused to address the specifics of Thursday's crash. "But we realize that accidents do happen."
NDOT might consider putting in concrete medians if that stretch of highway were to be widened, McKenzie said. There are no immediate plans to do so.
Both children appear to have been properly restrained in car seats, the older child in a "booster seat" designed for larger children, Davidson said.
Crews at the scene could not determine if the driver was wearing her seat belt, he said.
Telephone technician Fabio Jerezano was in front of the woman and also swerved to avoid the rubber. He saw Crothers lose control of her green minivan and begin to travel across the median.
"Once the fish-tailing started, I knew she was in trouble," Jerezano said. "It got worse and worse."
Jerezano said he frequently travels that stretch of U.S. 95 and that the road is commonly littered with pieces of rubber. Accidents like Crothers' could be prevented if the rubber were more frequently removed, he said.
"I'd like for them to start cleaning up the road more," Jerezano said, adding, "I'm just at a loss for words."
Nevada law states that drivers who lose a tire while driving are required to remove the rubber from the road to prevent this type of accident. However, few drivers are aware of the law and those who are rarely remove the debris, Davidson said.
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