Four separate Christmastime crashes claimed five people’s lives in the Las Vegas valley over 12 hours between Sunday afternoon and early Christmas Day.
A driver and a passenger died as their car ran a red light and collided with three other vehicles, constituting the first of the crashes, KSNV reported.
A Tesla driver hit a pedestrian walking “outside a marked or implied crosswalk” while switching lanes, KSNV separately reported. The victim became “lodged in [the car’s] windshield” and died at the scene, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The Las Vegas police reportedly arrested the driver, 29-year-old Alexandro Hernandez-Herrera, on a DUI charge.
A vehicle rolled over at about 12:26 am Monday, killing one occupant and seriously injuring another, who was then hospitalized, according to KSNV.
Less than thirty minutes later, a van turned left at an intersection and collided with a motorcycle riding in its path, forcing the 26-year-old motorcyclist off the motorcycle as he crashed into the front of the van and was pronounced dead at the scene, KSNV noted. The van’s driver reportedly remained at the scene and did not appear impaired. The crash was the 153rd traffic-related collision of 2023 in Las Vegas, according to The AP. (RELATED: Video Shows Alleged Drunk Truck Driver Gliding In Mid-Air, Violently Crashing Into Parked Vehicles)
There were 5 fatalities on #LasVegas roadways in the span of 12 hours…
Sunday:
1:25pm – Charleston & Lamb, 2 dead
6:15pm – Lamb & Judson, 1 dead
Monday:
12:26am – I-11 & Horizon Drive, 1 dead, 1 seriously injured
12:50am – Dean Martin & Ponderosa, I dead #SlowDown @News3LV— Kelly Curran 🚁 (@KellyNews3LV) December 25, 2023
Two vehicle accidents resulting in injuries followed, occurring about 15 minutes apart Monday afternoon, according to traffic hazard information provided by the Nevada State Police Highway Patrol.
Up to 345 people may die on U.S. roads during Christmas this year as many travel by car, the riskiest form of road transport based on fatality per passenger mile, and as people engage in festive drinking, the National Safety Council said.