2 dead, 3 injured in I-15 crash near California line

By Erin Dostal

Published Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 | 4:33 p.m.

Updated Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 | 9:03 p.m.

A man and woman died and three children were injured in a crash in the southbound lanes of Interstate 15 Friday afternoon about four miles from the California state line, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

The accident occurred about 4 p.m. when the four-door Dodge pickup truck they were riding in struck a paving machine, Trooper Joseph Fackrell said.

Fackrell said it appeared the truck’s front right tire was flat. He said it was unclear if the woman, who was driving, had lost control of the vehicle after the flat tire occurred or if the vehicle struck the paving machine while trying to pull over.

A man in the front passenger seat died while being flown to University Medical Center. The driver was flown to UMC in “very serious condition” and later died at the hospital, Fackrell said.

Three children in the back seat of the truck also were taken to UMC.

Police said they believe the couple killed were a husband and wife.

A 9-year-old girl, who was wearing a seatbelt, was driven to Jean about eight miles away, then flown to the hospital. She was in surgery Friday night in critical condition, police said.

Two young children in the backseat, both of whom were in car seats, were driven to the hospital, Fackrell said. A 5-year-old boy was in critical condition and a girl, 1 or 2 years old, was being held for observation, Fackrell said.

The paving machine wasn't moving at the time of the crash, Fackrell said. No workers were at the scene.

The names of the victims weren't available on Friday.

The southbound lanes of I-15 had been closed but officials started to reopen the highway into the early evening. Friday night, the highway had been reopened, but traffic was still backed up as of 9 p.m., Fackrell said.

A KLAS-TV photo taken from a helicopter showed a black pickup truck surrounded by emergency crews.