Wrong-way driver collision on I-10 East puts 4 in hospital
Oct 17, 2014, 6:33 AM | Updated: 10:26 am
PHOENIX — A wrong-way driver caused a multicar accident on a Phoenix freeway early Friday morning, sending several people to the hospital with serious injuries.
The 2 a.m. crash shut down Interstate 10 East at Interstate 17 west of downtown, near 19th Avenue for over eight hours. As many as five cars were involved and four people were rushed away for medical treatment. The I-17 ramps to eastbound I-10 were also closed.
The Department of Public Safety said a 25-year-old woman was driving in the wrong direction and eventually collided head-on with another vehicle. Three more cars then slammed into the disabled cars.
The roadways were shut down all morning. The wreck created a mileslong backup. By 9 a.m. the backup was six miles long.
Backup update: I-10 EB backup starts after 59th Ave. I-17 SB backup starts after Thomas. Expect heavy delays on local streets. #PhxTraffic
— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) October 17, 2014
The freeway reopened shortly before 10:30 a.m.