Woman hospitalized after car rolls over

Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004 | 11:21 a.m.

A 19-year-old Las Vegas motorist was in "extremely critical" condition this morning after her car struck another vehicle and then rolled over on Fort Apache Road.

Metro Police say the woman, whose name was not released, was traveling at what witnesses described as a high rate of speed on southbound Fort Apache near Russell Road about 7 a.m. when she apparently lost control of her red Chrysler Sebring.

The car crossed the road's center divider, striking the front of a Pontiac Grand Am traveling in the other direction, Sgt. Tracy McDonald of Metro's Traffic Investigation Section said.

The Chrysler then struck the curb before it flipped and landed on its roof, McDonald said. The driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle.

She was taken to University Medical Center where she remained in "extremely critical condition" at the hospital's trauma center, McDonald said. The driver of the Pontiac, a 51-year-old Las Vegas woman, was treated at UMC for minor injuries suffered in the crash.

Detectives were investigating this morning how fast the Chrysler was traveling and whether drugs or alcohol were involved, McDonald said. The speed limit on that stretch of Fort Apache Road is 35 mph, he said.