A 51-year-old man died Friday afternoon after his vehicle struck a barrier wall on an access road near Interstate 17 in Phoenix, and authorities believe impairment played a part in the crash. Phoenix police identified the man as Eric Koistinen.
The crash happened around 1:45 p.m. on an access road near Orangewood Avenue and Interstate 17, just south of Northern Avenue, according to KTAR News 92.3 FM. Officers responded to the single-vehicle wreck and found that Koistinen had been driving westbound on Orangewood Avenue before hitting the barrier wall, per preliminary information cited in the station's report. Phoenix Fire Department crews pronounced him dead at the scene.
Impairment Suspected, Investigation Ongoing
Authorities believe impairment contributed to the fatal collision, the station's report notes. Beyond that assessment, the available account does not detail what led investigators to that conclusion or whether any further findings have been released.
Koistinen's death adds to a string of barrier-wall crashes that have struck Phoenix roadways this year. In May, 22-year-old Cory Doberstein died after his car collided with a barrier wall on the 3rd Street off-ramp from Interstate 10, following a single-vehicle collision that Phoenix officers responded to near 3rd Street and Moreland Street around 2:45 a.m., according to the Arizona Daily Independent. In that case, detectives said speed was believed to be a contributing factor, while impairment had not yet been determined.
Not Every Barrier-Wall Crash Involves Impairment
Barrier walls have also been damaged in Phoenix crashes where impairment was not believed to be a factor. A separate multi-car crash partially destroyed a backyard pool's barrier wall and left four people injured and hospitalized, with FOX 10 Phoenix reporting that impairment was not believed to be a factor in that incident.
No additional details about Koistinen's vehicle, the roadway conditions, or the circumstances leading up to the crash have been released. The case underscores the range of outcomes behind barrier-wall collisions across the Valley, from cases where speed or distraction is blamed to others, like Koistinen's, where authorities point to impairment as a contributing cause.
