A tragic car crash on Interstate 17 has claimed the life of one teenager and left another critically injured, according to Arizona officials. The accident occurred near Cordes Lakes, where the car of the teen was in struck a guardrail. The Mayer Fire District responded to the call and found the vehicle heavily damaged, with the guardrail having penetrated the passenger side of the car. Two occupants were extracted; one 17-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was airlifted to a hospital in grave condition, as reported by AZFamily.
The incident, which took place around 2:30 p.m. Sunday, forced a temporary closure of I-17 southbound lanes for investigation and cleanup. 12News reports that the guardrail involved has a controversial history, with some voices in the community having long expressed concern over its safety.
Families and friends are mourning the loss and rallying around the survivor, who, according to sources, was a student at Mountain Ridge High School. The deceased had also previously attended the same school. Details on their identities have not been released as authorities continue to look into the crash's specifics.
The divisive guardrail model, known as ET-Plus and manufactured by Trinity Industries, had been installed on the road since 2004. Despite passing federal safety inspections, critics, including Steve Eimers – a father who became an advocate after his daughter died in a similar crash – argue that the guardrails are failing to protect drivers adequately. "Instead of ribboning away from the vehicle, the guardrail spears or pierces the vehicle, or causes the vehicle to vault, rollover, or redirect in other unintended ways, thus resulting in serious injury or death to vehicle occupants and others," Eimers described to 12News. Since the incident, the conversation on guardrail safety has intensified in Arizona and across the nation, prompting calls for systemic changes to prevent further tragedies on the road.
