Speed, impairment suspected in 6-car Phoenix crash that hospitalized 8, including 3 kids

Impairment and excessive speed are believed to be factors in a violent, six-car chain-reaction crash that sent multiple people, including three young children, to the hospital on Saturday evening, authorities said.

Phoenix Police Department officers responded to the scene just after 7 p.m. near the intersection of 16th Street and Thomas Road.

According to Phoenix police, a 26-year-old man driving a silver Toyota Tacoma was traveling northbound and speeding when he failed to stop for traffic waiting at a red light. The truck crashed into two vehicles stopped at the intersection.

Moments later, a second speeding driver, identified as a 33-year-old man in a silver Pontiac G6, was also heading northbound behind the truck and did not stop. His vehicle crashed into the rear of another stopped car, forcing it into oncoming traffic in the southbound lanes.

The 33-year-old driver of the Pontiac suffered life-threatening injuries. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he remains in critical condition, authorities said.

Paramedics transported the drivers and passengers of the other involved vehicles to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Among those hurt were three juveniles, ages 4, 6 and 8.

Police noted that there were no signs of impairment found in any of the other drivers.

The Phoenix Police Department’s Vehicular Crimes Unit is handling the ongoing investigation. Charges against both speeding drivers are pending the outcome of a full collision reconstruction and toxicology analysis.

This is an updated version of a story originally posted May 30, 2026.

Related

Pedestrian dead after getting hit by semi-truck on Phoenix freewayWoman hospitalized after crashing bike on Phoenix trailMotorcyclist dies after early-morning collision on Phoenix freewayLive updates for Arizona’s 2026 midterm primaries: County website glitchMain roadway between Maricopa and metro Phoenix closed after fatal incidentArizona voters to choose Republican and Democratic nominees for top education position