Passenger killed in chain-reaction crash on I-15

Monday, Nov. 3, 2003 | 10:53 a.m.

A 20-year-old California man who was a passenger in a car that was involved in a five-vehicle accident Friday on Interstate 15 died Saturday at University Medical Center, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

Six others, including two juveniles, were injured in the pile-up about 8 p.m. in the northbound lanes of I-15 near Jean. None of their names were released by authorities.

The dead man is Alejandro Padilla of Panorama City, Calif.

As the weekend tourist traffic from Southern California backed up on I-15, a car failed to stop and crashed into the back of another car, which then hit the car in which Padilla was a back seat passenger, Trooper Angie Wolff, an NHP spokeswoman, said.

The domino-type accident concluded with the car in which Padilla was a passenger striking the car in front of it, which in turn was pushed into the car in front of it, Wolff said.

Wolff said the chain reaction began when a 28-year-old man from Japan failed to brake in time, Wolff said, noting that the car turned sideways and hit the rear of a car stopped in the fast lane, which in turn was pushed into the second lane, resulting in the other three vehicles being hit.

The name of the driver of the striking vehicle has not yet been released, pending the conclusion of the investigation. Charges were not immediately filed, Wolff said.

The man from Japan and his passenger were taken to UMC, as were five of the six passengers in the car in which Padilla was a passenger, Wolff said.