Pickup truck driver dead after head-on collision with Valley Metro bus

PHOENIX — A man is dead after the pickup truck he was driving crashed into a Valley Metro bus head-on early Monday, authorities said.

The collision took place on Lower Buckeye Road east of 51st Avenue shortly before 4 a.m., according to the Phoenix Police Department.

First responders with the Phoenix Fire Department brought the truck driver, 48-year-old Delfino Mota Jr., to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Valley Metro bus was occupied only by its driver, who was not hurt in the collision.

How did pickup truck crash into Valley Metro bus?

“Preliminary reports indicate that Mota Jr. tried to pass traffic using the two-way left turn lane, swerved to avoid another vehicle, entered oncoming traffic, and collided head-on with the bus,” Sgt. Jen Zak said in a media advisory.

Lower Buckeye Road was temporarily closed between 49th Avenue and 51st Avenue after the crash.

No other details were made available. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

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