A tragic event unfolded early Wednesday morning when a woman driving in the wrong direction on a Phoenix freeway collided head-on with a pickup truck. The incident occurred around 3:20 a.m. on Interstate 17 near 7th Avenue, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix. The wrong-way driver, an 18-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the scene, while the male driver of the pickup truck was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Details surrounding the crash are still emerging, but it is known that the woman was driving northbound in the southbound lanes. The Arizona Department of Public Safety is currently investigating the circumstances to try and determine why she was driving on the wrong side of the road. According to a statement obtained by AZ Family, DPS Cpt. Jacob Melki confirmed the direction of the woman's travel and mentioned that the man in the pickup was on his way to work at the time of the collision.
As a result of the accident, southbound I-17 was shut down for several hours, causing significant traffic delays. The freeway closure forced drivers to be diverted at Durango Street, and congestion extended onto I-10. The roadway was reopened shortly before 7:30 a.m. after a comprehensive investigation was carried out at the scene of the crash.
The identity of the wrong-way driver has not been released to the public yet, and officials have yet to ascertain if impairment was a factor in the crash. Traffic was heavily impacted, with delays stretching past the Durango Curve.
