One killed, five injured in four holiday wrecks

Tuesday, July 5, 2005 | 10:51 a.m.

A 20-year-old Las Vegas man died and five other people were critically injured in four separate collisions in Southern Nevada over the Fourth of July three-day weekend, Metro Police said, but life jackets saved three young men from drowning on Lake Mead.

Numerous small brush and vehicle fires started by fireworks were doused by Las Vegas Fire & Rescue, Clark County Fire Department, Henderson Fire Department and Boulder City fire crews responding to reports of flames and smoke amid dry, hot conditions throughout Southern Nevada Monday night.

"There's a gazillion brush fire calls," a frantic fire dispatcher said as she dispatched another firefighting crew to a brush fire near the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

No deaths or serious injuries were reported from the many calls through Monday.

A rash of vehicle collisions was reported from Friday through Monday by Metro Police.

A 1993 Acura collided with a 1993 GMC Jimmy traveling west on Owens Avenue at Sandhill Road at 7:23 p.m. Friday, police said.

The driver of the Acura, Steven E. Jantz, died and his passenger, 21-year-old Brandon Dailey, of Salem, Ore., was hospitalized with critical injuries, police said.

The driver of the GMC, 79-year-old Clarence Roschal of Las Vegas, had moderate injuries while his 74-year-old wife, Mary Roschal of Las Vegas, was in serious condition, police said.

All three people injured in the crash were taken to University Medical Center.

Also taken to UMC after a holiday weekend wreck was 23-year-old Las Vegas man, Ngai Poon. He was in critical condition after speeding his 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution crashed into a utility pole at 5:51 a.m. Monday at Durango Drive and Desert Inn Road, police said.

The impact ejected Poon from his car. He apparently had not been wearing a seat belt, police said.

Sunrise Hospital saw its share of traffic collision injuries this weekend as well. Barbara Albano, 56, of Las Vegas, was in critical condition at Sunrise after the 1996 Honda Civic she was driving north on Cameron Street at Harmon Avenue crashed with a 1982 Excalibur driven by 52-year-old Bruce McCall of Lorain, Ohio, at 1:33 p.m. Saturday, police said.

McCall was taken to University Medical Center with moderate injuries.

Also, two people were in critical condition after a van and car crashed at 10:34 p.m. Friday at Rainbow Boulevard at Patrick Lane, police said.

A 1994 Mazda van driven by 39-year-old Huy Le of Las Vegas was traveling west on Patrick and collided with a 2005 Mazda. The van rolled on its side.

Le and 39-year-old Sandy Le of Las Vegas were taken from the van to University Medical Center in critical condition.

A 1-year-old girl who was ejected from the van, a 7-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy were taken to the hospital with moderate to serious injuries, police said.

The other driver, Christopher Tucker, 24, of Las Vegas, was treated at the scene for minor injuries, police said.

Police had various enforcement operations around the valley during the weekend trying to keep the number of traffic deaths to a minimum.

North Las Vegas Police were set up at East Lake Mead Boulevard near Interstate 15 to Pecos Road Sunday afternoon.

After the six-hour enforcement effort, 76 citations had been issued and two arrests made, including one person on a narcotics charge, North Las Vegas Police spokesman Tim Bedwell said.

No arrests for intoxicated or impaired drivers were made in North Las Vegas during this time, Bedwell said.

Two young visitors to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area had dangerous brushes with the water and the heat.

About 5 p.m. Sunday three young men from Las Vegas were riding a Yamaha Waverunner personal watercraft when the operator rolled the Waverunner, knocking all three off the vessel.

One of the passengers was able to climb back onto the watercraft, National Park Service spokeswoman Roxanne Dey said. The other two could not, as the Waverunner continued to roll over in the water.

"Thankfully, they were all wearing life jackets," Dey said.

A boater passing the trio saw they were in trouble and helped them. A 20-year-old, whose name was not released, had swallowed a lot of water and was not responsive for some time, Dey said. The boater flagged down a Nevada Department of Wildlife warden and National Park Service emergency medical rangers also arrived, Dey said.

A Mercy Air helicopter took the man, who was breathing on his own, to Valley Hospital.

None of the young men had taken a boating safety course, Dey said. They also did not have much experience operating a personal watercraft, she said.

At about the same time the Waverunner accident occurred, a 17-year-old boy suffering from heat exhaustion was airlifted from White Rock Wash by Mercy Air to St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena campus, Dey said.

The teenager was hiking up the wash when he began suffering from symptoms of what appeared to be heat stress, Dey said. National Park Service rangers and firefighters responded and called in a helicopter. The young man was treated by emergency room staff and was released to his family, she said.

The teen lives in Alaska and is in Las Vegas visiting family, Dey said. No further information was available because of federal privacy laws.

White Rock Wash is a popular hiking trail that leads to the Arizona Hot Springs in Black Canyon. The trailhead is off U.S. 93 between Hoover Dam and Willow Beach, Ariz.

Park Service rangers stressed that hiking is not recommended during hot summer months, Dey said. The temperature in the wash and canyon was at least 115 degrees Sunday, she said.

In June 2003 two hikers died of exposure hiking on the Nevada side in this same area, Dey said.