A California woman was arrested on DUI-related charges after a fatal crash in the west Las Vegas Valley on Wednesday evening.
About 5:45 p.m., the driver of a sedan was exiting a driveway on Hualapai Way just north of Flamingo Road when the driver of a northbound SUV northbound on Hualapai collided with the sedan, causing the SUV to roll over, said Lt. Charles Jenkins of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Both drivers were taken to University Medical Center. The driver of the SUV, a 51-year-old female from Las Vegas, died from her injuries while the driver of the sedan suffered severe injuries.
Police said the “Buick driver exhibited signs of impairment and was placed under arrest at UMC for DUI-related charges.” That driver was identified as Michelle Cardenas, 29, of Huntington Park, Calif.
In a later statement, police said “a 2024 Toyota Prius was traveling west in a private drive of S. Hualapai Way north of W. Flamingo Road. A 2024 Buick Encore was traveling south on S. Hualapai Way, approaching W. Flamingo Road. The Toyota entered S. Hualapai Way and traveled north a short distance before the driver made a sudden U-turn, traveling into the path of the approaching Buick. The Buick struck the right side of the Toyota before the Buick overturned onto its roof.”
Earlier collisions killed a motorcyclist about 6 a.m. in the central valley, a female pedestrian was killed when she was hit by a semitruck in North Las Vegas and an elderly pedestrian crossing outside of a crosswalk was hit by a vehicle at West Desert Inn and South Fort Apache roads and later died.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com.