Three Northern Nevada Residents Killed in Head-On Crash Monday near Tonopah
On Monday afternoon, shortly after 3:00 pm, troopers from the Nevada Highway Patrol were dispatched to a head-on collision on US 95 in Esmeralda County, approximately 10 miles north of Tonopah. The details of the crash so far indicate that a black 2002 Ford F-350 Super Duty crew cab pickup was traveling southbound on the two-lane highway driven by its sole occupant, a 55-year-old man from Manning, North Dakota.
Traveling north in the opposing lane was a green 2001 Toyota Sequoia SUV with three family members driven by a 37-year-old female. The other two occupants included a 68-year-old male and a 67-year-old female. All three were wearing seat belts and are from Northern Nevada. The names of the victims have not been released pending notification of family.
We believe the left front tire of the Ford pick-up experienced a failure causing the vehicle to travel into the path of the Toyota SUV. The driver of the pick-up applied the brakes causing his vehicle to skid; however, both vehicles collided head-on in the northbound travel lane. The force of the collision caused the SUV to roll over and all three occupants died at the scene while the other motorist sustained life-threatening injuries. He was airlifted from the crash scene.
The accident forced both directions of US 95 to be closed for nearly 90 minutes. At approximately 4:40 pm, one lane was reopened and Nevada Department of Transportation personnel assisted our agency with the temporary traffic control duties. The entire roadway was cleared and the northbound lane reopened shortly after 9:30 pm.
Trooper Mike Stapledon of the Major Accident Investigation Team is the lead investigator for this horrific crash. Witnesses or anyone with additional information should contact him at (775) 689-4623 regarding case number NHP-111225295.