Three people are dead after a wrong-way driver slammed head-on into another vehicle on State Route 86 west of Tucson before dawn on Sunday, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The male driver had been traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes near milepost 159 when his vehicle collided with a second car around 3 a.m. Both occupants of that second vehicle, a man and a woman, were pronounced dead at the scene, while the wrong-way driver died after being rushed to a hospital.
The crash occurred on State Route 86 west of Tucson, as reported by KVOA. State troopers said the wrong-way driver was the lone occupant of his vehicle, and investigators suspect impairment was a factor in his decision to enter the highway traveling in the opposite direction of traffic. No further details on the identities of the three victims have been released.
A Remote Corridor With a History of Deadly Head-On Crashes
State Route 86, also known as Ajo Highway, connects Tucson and Ajo and passes through the Tohono O'odham Nation, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. This is not the first time the highway has seen tragedy of this kind: a July 2021 head-on crash near milepost 128 killed a Tucson Sector Border Patrol agent and another driver, according to a tribute posted by U.S. Border Patrol's Tucson sector chief.
AZ Law Now has reported on wrong-way detection systems and crashes on Arizona highways.
What Arizona Law Says About Wrong-Way DUI
If investigators confirm impairment, Arizona law can elevate wrong-way driving to aggravated DUI. Details about sentencing and the role of intent in such prosecutions were not provided. Non-impaired wrong-way entries onto controlled-access highways are treated differently under Arizona law.
Wrong-Way Crashes Remain a Persistent Killer on Arizona Highways
Statewide, wrong-way driving incidents and crashes have been reported on Arizona highways, AZ Law Now reports. Arizona's overall traffic fatalities have also been the subject of reporting, according to Suzuki Law Offices.
Tucson's roads have drawn particular scrutiny in recent months. Tucson Spotlight has reported on traffic safety and fatal crashes in the city.
Sunday's crash west of Tucson echoes other wrong-way tragedies Hoodline has covered on I-10 near Tucson this year, part of a troubling pattern of impaired wrong-way driving across Arizona highways. No additional information about the victims or the investigation had been released as of Sunday morning.
