Crash in Laughlin leaves 2 slot players dead

By Kyle B. Hansen

Published Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010 | 10:10 a.m.

Updated Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010 | 7:39 p.m.

UPDATED STORY: Coroner IDs woman in Laughlin casino crash; driver out of jail

LAUGHLIN - Two women playing slot machines at a Laughlin casino are dead and six other people were hospitalized after a vehicle slammed into the casino Wednesday morning.

Metro Police Sgt. Oscar Chavez said police responded at about 9:30 a.m. to the Edgewater Hotel & Casino, 2020 South Casino Drive, where a vehicle crashed into the casino's front entrance.

The driver, a 70-year-old man, told investigators he fainted while driving toward the Edgewater Hotel & Casino, 2020 South Casino Drive, on the Colorado River waterfront, Metro Police Officer Jacinto Rivera said. Officer Barbara Morgan said drugs and alcohol didn't appear to be factors in the crash.

The driver was identified Wednesday night as Walter McGie of Kelso, Wash. He was arrested and booked on two counts of felony reckless driving causing death, Metro Police said.

Police said nine people were struck. Six people were taken to Arizona Medical Center in Bullhead City, Ariz., for treatment, Chavez said. Two of the victims were in critical condition and one suffered moderate injuries, authorities said.

The two with more serious injuries were flown to the trauma center at University Medical Center, Bullhead City hospital spokeswoman Sarah Morga said.

McGie was treated for minor injuries at the scene, police said.

Chavez said a 2007 Pontiac Vibe was eastbound on Bruce Woodbury Drive, crossed Casino Drive at a high rate of speed and crashed through the casino's entrance, killing two women who were sitting at slot machines. Witnesses reported that the car went through a red light at the intersection.

The victims were not identified on Wednesday.

Chavez said no one else was in the car with McGie. Authorities were questioning him but haven't determined what caused the crash.

The vehicle "drove right through the glass doors at the front entrance, knocked over a bunch of slots like toys, and came to rest in the gaming area," Bullhead City Fire Division Chief Bill Kinsey, incident commander for a mutual aid response from the Arizona city across the Colorado River. He estimated that the vehicle came to rest about 35 feet inside the casino.

"Slot machines were just everywhere, just wiped out, tumbled and tossed," he said.

One of the dead ended up a few feet from the back of the vehicle, Kinsey said. Another was wedged beneath the vehicle and some slot machines.

Power was immediately shut off, and the casino area was evacuated. Kinsey said he didn't think guests were told to evacuate the rest of the 1,200-room hotel.

Kinsey said he expected casino security videotapes would show every detail of the crash, including the car approaching from near Casino and Bruce Woodbury drives, and crashing through the glass doors. "Those poor people, just minding their own business, and they get plowed over by a vehicle," Kinsey said.

"I don't think they ever saw it coming," he said.

Joseph Magliarditi, chief operating officer at the Edgewater, said he wasn't at the casino when the crash occurred.

"It doesn't feel good to get a phone call like that," he said of learning about the incident.

He wasn't sure of the extent of damage to the casino on Wednesday. Much of the casino floor remained open.

Karen Trent, who is visiting from Waterloo, Iowa, was in her Edgewater hotel room when she got a phone call from her husband, Morley, who was walking through the casino. He told her he heard what sounded like an explosion. The car ended up about 10 feet from where he was standing, she said.

“He is pretty shaken up,” Karen Trent said. She couldn’t hear the crash from her room.

Resident Paul Allen said he was pulling into the station when he saw the Pontiac run a red light and hit the median. He said he thought the car blew a tire. He estimated the car was traveling about 50 mph, while other estimates have been much higher.

"This is the most activity we've had down here since River Run," he said while watching the media gather outside the gas station.

The 2007 Vibe involved in the crash was not part of two Toyota recalls that recently affected millions of cars in the United States because of a risk of unintended acceleration.

The car, however, is a joint venture of Toyota and General Motors Co., and the 2009 and 2010 models were recalled last month because of a risk of the driver-side floor mat trapping the gas pedal, causing unintended acceleration.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration did not have any defects or recalls for the 2007 Vibe listed in its database.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.