A DUI crash involving six vehicles left one person dead and three others injured Thursday morning, police said.
Las Vegas Metro police responded to reports of a multi-vehicle crash the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Warm Springs Road at 10:05 a.m. One person was pronounced deceased and three others suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said. The injured victims were transported to UMC Trauma for treatment.
The six vehicles involved include a black Mercedes, silver Lexus, red Ford, Chevy Malibu, gray Cadillac SUV and a blue Hyundai.
Victor Johnson said he was working at a convenience store at the corner of the intersection. He said once he saw the crash, he ran out to help.
"I think it's a tragedy," Johnson said. "I hate to hear anything like that. But it teaches you life is a blessing so make every day count for sure."
He said he also saw the suspect try to run away.
"I thought she was a pedestrian, crossing the street when she was fleeing the scene," he said. "I thought she was trying to run away from the accident because she was frightened. Had I known it was the person driving the vehicle, I probably would've tried to stop her myself."
Nevada Highway Patrol, the agency handling the traffic investigation, said a suspected impaired woman was driving the Mercedes westbound on Warm Springs Road when she clipped the rear-view mirror of the Lexus. She attempted to flee the scene by driving into the South Premium Outlet Mall parking lot.
The woman drove back onto westbound Warm Springs Road and ran a red light at the Las Vegas Boulevard intersection. She crashed into the Chevy Malibu which was traveling southbound on Las Vegas Boulevard. The crash also impacted the Ford, Cadillac and the Hyundai that was stopped at a red light in the eastbound Warm Springs lanes.
A trooper confirmed the driver of the Malibu died at the scene.
The intersection was shut down in all directions pending the investigation of the crash.
NHP said this was a lesson in defensive driving.
"This is just one of those things, when you come through intersections in Las Vegas, if you have a green light, it's not a bad idea just to pump those brakes and give a look at those intersections," NHP trooper Jason Buratczuk said. "You never know what's coming through. We all expect people to follow traffic laws, do the right thing. But sometimes, you can have an impaired driver, someone not paying attention."
Attorney Matt Hoffmann from Battle Born Injury Lawyers highly recommends having Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists coverage to help protect yourself and any passengers in your vehicle if you find yourself injured in one of these unfortunate circumstances.