A longtime face of Pahrump local news was killed Friday afternoon when a speeding utility vehicle veered off a residential road and struck her while she was doing yard work with her oldest son. Janet Errett, a 17-year employee and on-air personality at KPVM News 25 and Ace Country Radio, died at the scene near Game Bird Road and Unicorn Avenue.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada Highway Patrol responded to the fatal crash after a call came in Friday. KPVM TV News 25 reported that Errett was struck while performing lawn-care work outside a residential property alongside her oldest son when the vehicle left the roadway.
Preliminary findings shared by KPVM TV News 25 indicate a blue side-by-side utility vehicle was traveling westbound on Game Bird Road toward Unicorn Street at a high rate of speed when it crossed the center divider into the south shoulder. The vehicle struck property fencing, hit Errett, and continued into an adjacent property before coming to rest, per the station's report.
Road Closures Stretched for Hours During Reconstruction
Emergency responders with the Nevada Highway Patrol closed Game Bird Road between Vicki Ann Road and Money Street, along with the intersection at Unicorn Avenue, following the 12:23 p.m. call on Friday, according to KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas. The closures kept the intersection shut for several hours while investigators worked to reconstruct the crash. Highway Patrol asked the public to avoid the area during the investigation, per the Review-Journal, and as of the story's initial report the crash was still developing news.
Who Was Janet Errett
Errett was widely known beyond her broadcasting duties. She was nationally recognized as a featured cast member in HBO's 2021 six-part documentary series “Small Town News: KPVM Pahrump,” which brought national attention to the station's local news team, according to KNPR. She also served as a longtime organizer for the Miss Pahrump Pageant board, a role that made her a familiar presence in the community well beyond her television and radio work.
Questions Over Off-Highway Vehicles on Paved Streets
The crash mechanics have raised questions about how the vehicle came to be traveling at high speed on a paved residential connector road in the first place. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 490 generally restricts off-highway vehicles, including side-by-sides, from operating on paved public roads unless specifically designated by local ordinance or as unpaved trail connectors, and requires annual registration decals for models manufactured after 1976, according to the Nevada Legislature. Nye County regulations, however, allow registered off-highway vehicles and side-by-sides to travel on designated county roads strictly to let operators move between private property and public off-road trail networks, the Nye County Sheriff's Office has explained, which is why the utility vehicles are a common sight on Pahrump's residential streets connecting homes to nearby dirt trails.
This is not the first time an off-road vehicle has proven deadly on a Pahrump street. In May 2019, an ATV rider died at Mesquite Avenue and Rockefeller Drive after becoming trapped beneath the vehicle when it overturned, according to the Pahrump Valley Times. Statewide, off-highway vehicles account for a substantial share of emergency incidents, with county search-and-rescue teams logging dozens of side-by-side and ATV deployments annually, per the Nevada Office of Emergency Management — Washoe County's search-and-rescue unit alone handled 40 such incidents in 2025.
Growth Along Game Bird Road
The stretch of roadway where the crash occurred is already slated for change. Game Bird Road is scheduled for municipal infrastructure expansion to accommodate increased local traffic tied to incoming commercial projects, including the planned Silverton Hotel and Casino near Highway 160, KPVM TV News 25 reported in May. Nye County deputies also rely on grant-funded traffic safety and DUI saturation enforcement through the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety to address high-risk driving on the county's rural roadways, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reporting.
Nevada Highway Patrol's investigation into the crash remains ongoing, and no cause beyond the preliminary account of the vehicle crossing the center line has been confirmed. Pahrump has seen a string of fatal roadway incidents in recent months, including crashes on State Route 160 and residential streets like Charleston Park Avenue and Quarter Horse, underscoring the persistent traffic safety concerns facing the rural Nye County community.
