A catastrophic tire blowout on an Amazon semi-truck led to a deadly collision that claimed two lives on Interstate 10 near Tonopah. The tragedy unfolded Thursday afternoon, as the truck lost control and slammed into the overpass at around 2 p.m., per Arizona Department of Public Safety officials.
The vehicle, battling through the eastbound traffic near 339th Avenue, initially suffered what appears to have been an untimely tire failure. This mishap sent the semi-careening into the overpass's center column, resulting in it coming to a halt in the median, as azfamily.com reported.
The two Amazon employees inside the vehicle, Abdullahi Muhammed Abdi, 40, of Colorado, and Fadhi Hamdi Ali, 35, of Minnesota, succumbed to their injuries—one at the scene and the other after being transported to a hospital. The accident brought traffic to a standstill, with eastbound lanes of I-10 closed for several hours whilst emergency services attended the scene.
In response to the incident, an Amazon spokesperson expressed the company's grief, stating, "We’re incredibly saddened to learn of this tragic accident, and our thoughts are with the victims’ families and loved ones during this difficult time. We’re working to learn more information and will continue to support local law enforcement as they investigate," according to a statement obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix. The bridge where the collision occurred was inspected by the Arizona Department of Transportation and found to have only minor damage, deeming the it safe for continued use by traffic.
