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Emergency personnel work at the scene of a crash at the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010.
By Cara McCoy 
Published Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010 | 3:30 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010 | 7:26 p.m.
Fatal crash
Metro Police are investigating the death of a 79-year-old Las Vegas woman this afternoon whose vehicle crashed into an area behind a performance stage at the Fremont Street Experience.
Police identified the woman Tuesday evening as Sara Dominguez.
Sgt. Oscar Chavez said officers responded at 2:23 p.m. to the crash north of Third Street and Carson Avenue, just to the south of Fremont Street. Authorities said a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck was northbound on Third Street when the vehicle left the roadway and collided with a structure that houses the sound system for the stage.
Investigators aren't sure what caused Dominguez to crash into the structure, but Chavez said the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed.
"The impact was pretty severe," he said.
He said police were continuing to investigate the crash and whether the woman might have suffered a medical episode or whether the crash could have been intentional. He said her age was a factor in their investigation.
“We’re still in the preliminary stages of the investigation,” he said. “We’re treating this as a vehicle collision involving a fatality.”
Witnesses told police the vehicle had run several red lights, which Chavez said investigators were still working to confirm.
He said the woman had dropped off her adult grandson in the area of Clark Avenue and Third Street just before the crash. Dominguez was the only person in the vehicle at the time of the crash, he said.
Chavez said investigators believed the stage structure was empty at the time of the crash and no pedestrian injuries were reported.
“We’re very fortunate that there were no other people. It’s a good thing there wasn’t a concert going on right now,” he said.
The walls of the cement structure caved from the impact and landed on the vehicle. A small metal gate that blocked the sidewalk from vehicle traffic had been carried inside the structure, apparently on the front of the vehicle. The interior of the structure appeared to be destroyed.
Jeremy Wulf, who was visiting Las Vegas from Iowa with his fiancee, Megan Plehall, said the two were walking near Third and Carson when they heard an engine rev.
They turned and saw the truck traveling at a high rate of speed, then it hit the structure.
"It flew right down the street. No brake lights. (She) had it to the floor, that's for sure," Wulf said.
A crowd gathers at the Four Queens valet entrance near the scene of a fatal crash at the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010.
Terry Hibbard, 42, of Lake Arrowhead, Calif., said he was in Las Vegas to celebrate his birthday with friends. He was on a balcony at Fitzgerald's when he heard the truck crash into the stage area.
“We saw everybody turn their heads and start running this way,” he said, gesturing at the crumpled cement wall. “When we got down here, there was only one unit. The cops weren’t here yet.”
When police arrived, officers drew their weapons and surrounded the vehicle, he said. A man ran to the scene and said it was his grandmother in the truck, Hibbard said. The man and a woman with an infant were seen consoling each other after the accident before being escorted from the scene by Four Queens security officers.
Wally and Kathy Obermann, of Minocqua, Wis., had just pulled their car into the garage at Fitzgerald’s after spending a day at M Resort and Green Valley Ranch in Henderson.
“I think everybody was in shock, you know, it was unbelievable,” Wally Obermann said. “I bet you we missed it by 30 seconds.”
He said the casino valets were the first to run to the scene, which was in an area of the Fremont Street Experience between the parking areas of Fitzgerald’s and the Four Queens.
“I saw the paramedics come with the Jaws of Life,” he said. “Then I saw them take the gurney away and thought, 'uh oh, someone’s dead here because they took it away empty.'”
The crash is the seventh fatal collision in Metro’s jurisdiction this year.
maybe these seniors lost their social security money at the casnios.
R.I.P.
Maybe not revoke licenses completly, but at least take the entire driver's written and hands on test all over again. I'm all for elderly people being independent but not at the risk of their lives or ours.
sufferinsuccotash;
60??????? Good Grief, man! 60? Are you serious? Yer jokin' me!
yes!
please bring your company to vegas!
we've got reckless drivers, high speed chases, horrible schools, and more!
sufferinsuccotash;
Be sure to make it a point that YOUR license gets taken away the minute you turn 60 buddy!! You have insulted a great many people with that one pal...
She should've done this at the Luxor, people pay good money to watch Carrot Top die on stage there nightly.
Okay okay .... 61. HAH!
Come on guys ... at the very least, there should be some sort of way to be more consistent in renewing or checking up on the ability to drive when you hit a certain age (even if already implemented, obviously it isn't working). I don't care the age, but at least make it something so that this doesn't happen.
No politician will vote for a bill that restricts or requires the elderly to be tested for driving skills because it would be political suicide. We all know, as do the politicians, that the elderly need to be tested....but the elderly vote and that single fact keeps the rest of us in danger.
They will ban texting or talking on the phone while driving....but they won't touch the elderly issue.
sufferinsucCatash
Hey kid - Get back to us when you are 59 and see tell us how you feel about NOT having a license in another year! 60 is young, moron. 65 is young, moron. WE AT LEAST KNOW HOW TO DRIVE....moron. And how many tickets have you received in the short time you have been driving??? I have NONE and I've been driving since I was 16....many, many years ago.
gats
I just had to get my driver's license back home here and I had to take both the written test AND eye test. Passed both with flying colors. Yes, most States after you hit a certain age start testing you. The older you get, the more testing and the frequency of the testing is higher.
What bothers me more about this is NOT the woman's age, but she was driving a high profile vehicle and that my guess is she had a hard time seeing out of the windshield no matter how many cushions she sat on AND had a hard time reaching the gas and brake pedals. Back in Vegas, I once saw an elderly woman that I would say was about 80 get into a Ford F150. She could barely see out the window!! I stayed out of her way!!
I no of people that are almost blind and they are still driving,they get a doctors note and the DMV renews there license.Driving is not a right its a privilege. I think everyone should take the test everytime you renew your drivers license.It sounds evil but maybe our insurance will go down and people will be safer.
lets also not anyone under 30 drive... oh and anyone who wears glasses..and all women..and---pleeaassee! you can stop accidents from happening no matter want--and in this town where the booze is free and flows 24/7--what do you really expect?
You people saying "take their licenses away because a car is a deadly weapon" are the same ones that are so fearful that Obama might take your guns. Whats more deadly than a gun--? An old lady diving a car? somehow I dont think so.
Thanks God it was downtown where there is little chance of hitting anyone.
Seymore Cray died driving at the age of 71, killed by a 33 year old who could not drive as well as him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymore_Cra...
If they take away seniors licences, they'll do what illegal's do, drive without one. And without insurance.
...remember that "she" has family. None of us know exactly what happened. We are very lucky that no one else was hurt. (besides her family) Instead of jumping to conclusions and discussing "illegals" and "how many pillows she was sitting on" maybe you should consider RESPECT.
Please keep in mind that "she" was a WONDERFUL mother and grandmother
rest in peace sweet sara
It's possible she might have had her windows down, and she was overwhelmed by the urine and fecal odors prevalent downtown. Or she simply swerved to avoid hitting a hooker...
RIP, Sara..
By the reasoning in these posts I conclude that all police officer's should have to take a driver safety course every 6 months so that they quit killing themselves. They might not learn much but they will not have as much opportunity to drive because they will be doing paper work. To the deceased - rest in peace. To most of you - get a life!
She was wonderful.