Driver killed in crash on U.S. 95 near Durango

Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2004 | 9:42 a.m.

An Indian Springs man was killed today after his northbound car entered the southbound lanes on U.S. 95 and hit a southbound pickup truck, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

In an unusual twist, the Highway Patrol suspects the driver of the pickup truck had consumed alcohol and could face DUI charges in the accident for which he was not at fault, the NHP said, noting that will be up to the district attorney's office.

The accident occurred about 2 a.m. near Durango Drive when the 65-year-old driver of a 1997 Chevrolet crossed the highway median into the fast lanes and rammed into the side of a 1994 Mazda pickup driven by a 42-year-old Las Vegas man, the NHP said.

The driver of the pickup and his 38-year-old female passenger were taken to the University Medical Center. Investigators called the man's injuries as serious and said the woman suffered multiple "non-incapacitating" injuries.

Their names were not immediately available. The dead driver's name was not released pending notification of relatives.