Victims of U.S. 95 crash identified

Wednesday, March 16, 2005 | 9:51 a.m.

The Nye County Sheriff's Department on Tuesday identified the four victims in a head-on collision on U.S. 95 on Sunday.

According to Sheriff Tony DeMeo, the crashed killed 31-year-old Steven Smith his wife, 28-year-old Amber Smith and the couple's daughter, 9-week-old Opal Smith. The family lived in Cedar City, Utah, and, according to friends who contacted the Sun, were traveling to Las Vegas to visit family.

The family was killed when a 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier driven by Clark McBride, 20, of Las Vegas, crossed the median on northbound U.S. 95 and slammed into their 2000 Subaru Forester, Metro Police said.

According to Metro, McBride lost control of the car just over the Nye County line near Mercury after Officer Kevin McClary clocked the car traveling at more than 100 mph. The vehicle then travelled into oncoming traffic, where it collided with the Smith's Subaru.

All four victims were pronounced dead at the scene. McClary, 44, was airlifted to University Medical Center, where he remained Tuesday in serious condition from injuries suffered when his patrol car flipped as he tried to avoid hitting debris from the wreck, police said.