A Friday night crash near Sunset Park turned deadly when a vehicle left the roadway and slammed into an unhoused encampment, killing one person and backing up traffic across a busy south Las Vegas intersection.
The collision happened around 7:20 p.m. near East Warm Springs Road and Eastern Avenue, according to police. Officers arrived to find a vehicle off the road and a person dead at the scene. Authorities have not yet released the victim’s identity or said what caused the driver to veer off the street.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told KTNV that a vehicle “drove off the road and crashed into a nearby unhoused encampment” and that during the investigation, a deceased person was located near the vehicle. Metro’s Collision Investigation Section worked the scene into the night while traffic crawled through detours.
Local coverage placed the crash in the area by Sunset Park and noted that authorities shut down the intersection of Warm Springs Road and Eastern Avenue for several hours while investigators documented the site and crews cleared debris. As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, details from Metro remained limited as the investigation got underway.
Investigation Underway
Metro’s Collision Investigation Section is leading the probe and has not released additional information, officials told FOX5. According to the station, Metro does not suspect impairment at this time and asked drivers to steer clear of the area while closures were in effect.
Where This Happened
Sunset Park sits at 2601 E Sunset Rd and borders Eastern Avenue and Warm Springs Road. Clark County’s parks page notes that several park facilities line the park’s southern edge near Warm Springs. Per the county site, that layout brings parts of the park close to a busy stretch of roadway, which can leave anyone near the curb uncomfortably close to fast-moving traffic.
Investigators are asking for the public’s help as they work to piece together what happened. Anyone who witnessed the crash or captured video is urged to contact the Las Vegas Metro’s Collision Investigation Section. As noted by 8 News Now, officers are specifically looking for witnesses or footage that might show the vehicle before or during the moment it left the road.
