Several injured, two die in crashes

Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2003 | 10:11 a.m.

Clark County Fire Department paramedics were flown to the Tonopah area Tuesday to help treat more than a dozen people who suffered injuries in a series of five weather-related crashes.

One of the crashes, in which the injured were taken to Reno, killed two men. The other four occurred a short distance south and resulted in two critically injured people being taken to University Medical Center.

Those critically injured motorists were flown via medical helicopter to the North Las Vegas Airport, from where they were taken by ambulance to University Medical Center, Clark County Fire Department spokesman Bob Leinbach said. Ten other victims were treated for injuries in Reno.

Police believe the five Reno men in the vehicle in the fatal accident were heading to Las Vegas for a New Year's Eve celebration, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Rocky Gonzalez in Elko said. Tonopah is about 200 miles northwest of Las Vegas on U.S. 95.

The dead men were identified as Matthew Thomas Spracklin, 20, a passenger, who was pronounced dead at the scene, and Joel Uribe, 22, who died from his injuries at Washoe Medical Center in Reno.

The crash happened 14 miles south of Goldfield on U.S. 95 southbound when a Chevrolet sport utility vehicle flipped on the icy road, Gonzalez said.

Passenger Anthony Demartini, 25, also was taken to Washoe Medical Center with serious injuries, while driver Rodolfo "Rudy" Bautista, 21, and passenger George Bergin, 20, were taken to Tonopah with less serious injuries, Gonzalez said.

None of the men in the vehicle were wearing seat belts, he said.

In one of the other four accidents on the same stretch of highway, a UPS truck overturned, Gonzalez said. No other details were available.

Details were not immediately available on the other accidents, including the one that critically injured two people who were taken to UMC.

A UMC spokeswoman today said she could not release information because of new federal privacy laws that prohibit hospitals from giving conditions of patients unless specific names are provided.