Wrong-way driver hits car on Phoenix freeway, minor injuries reported
Jul 9, 2018, 8:44 AM
(Public Domain Photo)
PHOENIX — A wrong-way driver collided with another car on a Phoenix freeway early Monday, but no one was seriously hurt, authorities said.
The accident closed northbound lanes on State Route 51 near Thomas Road shortly before 5 a.m., when a man in his 20s behind the wheel of a luxury sedan heading south hit a small SUV.
The woman in the SUV suffered minor injuries but didn’t go the hospital. The sedan driver was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
A duty officer for the Arizona Department of Public Safety said in an email the wrong-way driver will be booked on several charges after his release from the hospital.
Last week, the state’s wrong-way detection system along Interstate 17 alerted law enforcement to a driver going the wrong way near Union Hills Road. The driver got off the freeway before hitting anything, then got back on heading in the correct direction.
Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers stopped the car and took the driver into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence.