Deadly accident closes major street for 3 hours

Monday, Nov. 18, 2002 | 11:17 a.m.

A 16-year-old girl was killed and seven others suffered serious injuries in a crash about 9 p.m. Sunday at Maryland Parkway and Katie Avenue.

All eight people were taken to University Medical Center's trauma center after a car going north on Maryland Parkway spun out of control, jumped the median and smashed into a car in the opposite lanes. A pedestrian was hit after the cars collided and sent to the hospital in critical condition.

The teen, Rene Perales, died after arriving at UMC, Metro Police said.

Police are still investigating the crash, and investigators said they believe alcohol was a factor with the driver of the car that crossed the median. No charges have been filed pending the outcome of the investigation.

Police closed Maryland Parkway for more than three hours after the accident.

Investigators said a 1997 Pontiac was going north on Maryland Parkway when the driver, Octavio Mendoza, 18, lost control at Katie Avenue, at the southwest corner of the Boulevard Mall. Mendoza evidently over-corrected, causing the Pontiac to spin.

The Pontiac veered across the three northbound lanes and jumped the center median into the southbound lanes, into the path of a 1988 Chevrolet driven by David Bobroski, 19. Bobroski was unable to stop and the cars collided.

One of the cars hit a pedestrian, Antonio Estrada, 25, knocking him to the ground, police said. He suffered critical injuries.

A front seat passenger in the Pontiac, Rene Perales, was killed in the crash. Mendoza was in serious condition, a hospital spokeswoman said this morning. Another passenger, Bogart Brandt, 19, was upgraded from serious to fair condition.

Bobroski and two passengers, Zane Nesmith, 18 and Courtney Riley, 19 were in serious condition this morning. Another passenger, Danielliz Mutucz, 22, was in critical condition.

After the two vehicles collided, Maryland Parkway at Katie Avenue across from the Boulevard Mall was strewn with debris and broken glass.

Clark County Fire Department heavy rescue crews had to cut the roof off of the Chevrolet to remove five victims, Metro Sgt. Curt Albert said.

Witnesses told police the Pontiac had been weaving in and out of traffic before it crashed, Albert said.

Two people inside the Pontiac were shoved into the back seat by the force of the crash, one on top of the other, Albert said.

This is the 119th traffic-related fatality handled by Metro this year.