Drag racer killed; 2 pedestrians injured

Jen Lawson

Thursday, Oct. 16, 2003 | 9:43 a.m.

A drag racer was killed near downtown Las Vegas, and two 13-year-old pedestrians were critically injured when they were hit by a car in Southern Highlands Wednesday night, Metro Police said.

Eighth graders Adriana Lauzon and Tabitha Speas were walking across Shinnecock Hills Avenue near Tucci Street when they were struck by a black 2002 Volkswagen Jetta driven by Summer Larkin, 24, of Las Vegas about 6:30 p.m., police said.

Police said another driver who was westbound on Shinnecock Hills saw the girls and slowed, but the Volkswagen passed the other vehicle and hit the girls, throwing them about 50 feet in the air.

Two helicopters were called in to airlift the girls to University Medical Center where they were in critical condition this morning, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Larkin had not been cited as of this morning, but the investigation was still ongoing, police said.

About 45 minutes after that accident, police were called to another crash on Bonanza Road near Seventh Street.

About 7:15 p.m., a 19-year-old man, whose identity hasn't been released, was racing 36-year-old Fernando Aviles of Las Vegas, who was driving a 1981 red Mazda RX7, police said. The victim lost control of his brown 1983 Mazda RX7 and it spun clockwise and slid under a UPS stepvan driven by Robert Ryder, 38. Ryder suffered minor injuries.

The dead man's 18-year-old passenger, Carla Talavera of Las Vegas, was taken to University Medical Center with serious injuries and was still being treated this morning, authorities said.