One person is dead after a wrong-way crash in the early hours of Sunday morning between a motor vehicle and a light-rail train in Phoenix.
According to an interview with Phoenix Police spokesperson, Sgt. Tommy Thompson that appeared on the Arizona Family website, the accident happened at approximately 3:00 a.m. near the intersection of 1st Avenue and Washington Street.
Sgt. Thompson told reporters that a woman in her 30’s had been driving a 2014 Nissan Sentra was heading eastbound on Washington Street, which is a westbound, one-way street. The Nissan collided with a southbound light rail train. The force of impact derailed the light rail before it crashed into a utility pole.
A Phoenix Police officer heard the crash, and he, along with firefighters, tried to free the woman from the wreckage of her vehicle. Unfortunately, emergency personnel found the woman had died as the result of injuries she suffered in the crash. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her identity has not been released pending notification of the members of her family.
Onboard the light rail at the time of the crash was the train operator and two passengers. No one on board the light rail was hurt in the collision.
Thompson also told reporters that during the initial investigation, speed was a likely factor in the fatal crash. While impairment was ruled out for the light rail operator, investigators have not yet determined whether the woman might have been impaired at the time. The accident is still currently under investigation.
The damage that was caused to the light rail train will likely keep the area shut down until repairs are made.
