A 75-year-old SUV driver has died days after his vehicle hit a stopped RTC bus on Desert Inn Road east of Pecos in southeast Las Vegas, police said. The crash happened June 27, and the man was taken to Sunrise Hospital with suspected serious injuries before being pronounced dead on July 1. The midday collision closed lanes on Desert Inn while investigators worked the scene.
According to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, the wreck unfolded just before 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 27. Investigators determined that a 2019 New Flyer RTC transit bus was stopped at a bus stop in the right travel lane on Desert Inn Road east of Pecos when a 2015 Nissan Rogue approached from behind in the same lane, failed to slow or change lanes, and struck the bus. The 75-year-old Nissan driver was transported to Sunrise Hospital with suspected serious injuries and was later pronounced dead on Wednesday, July 1. The bus driver remained at the scene, showed no signs of impairment and did not report injuries. Metro’s collision unit is handling the inquiry, according to FOX5.
Police investigation
Serious and fatal wrecks like this typically go to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Collision Investigation Section, a specialized team that responds to major traffic crashes and conducts what the agency calls a “Fatal Detail” probe. Detectives collect on-scene evidence, take witness statements and pull data from the involved vehicles to reconstruct how a crash unfolded and identify contributing factors. The department’s public press-release archive includes past Collision Investigation Section reports and procedural summaries involving similar cases, including incidents with buses, according to LVMPD. Local reporting, including coverage from KTNV, has also highlighted recent Collision Investigation Section responses and hospital transports in the same area.
Transit safety context
The RTC fleet includes New Flyer XN60 buses, the manufacturer and model noted in the police summary of the Desert Inn crash, which are common on Las Vegas routes. BusTimes lists New Flyer XN60 units among RTC vehicles. Local coverage has also raised rider and driver safety concerns on public buses in recent years, with the Las Vegas Review-Journal reporting on incidents and growing unease among operators and passengers about violence and security aboard RTC vehicles. Las Vegas Review-Journal reporting details those trends and the pressure on transit agencies to address safety.
Officials have not released the driver’s name and did not immediately announce charges as the probe continues. Police and transit officials say they are reviewing evidence and hospital records, and investigators are asking the public to allow time while the Collision Investigation Section completes its work.
