Salt Lake City man arrested on DUI in triple fatal in Nye County
A motorist arrested in a Nye County crash that took the lives of two children and an adult Sunday has been identified as Christos Vrachnos, 45, of Salt Lake City.
Nye County Sheriff’s Office Capt. David Boruchowitz confirmed Vrachnos has been booked at the county jail on six felony counts of driving under the influence causing death or substantial bodily harm. Vrachnos also is being held on counts of failure to drive on the right side of the road, resisting a public official, making a false statement, unlawful restraint of a dog and failure to obey traffic laws, Boruchowitz said.
Vrachnos was arrested by Nevada State Police troopers Sunday. Police spokeswoman Ashlee Wellman said Vrachnos was driving a silver Volvo headed north on U.S. Highway 95, near mile marker 27 when he failed to maintain his travel lane at 11:20 a.m. The Volvo struck a truck with a camper attached, then a GMC Yukon, but no one in those vehicles was injured.
The Volvo then slammed into a grey Chrysler minivan. Three people in the minivan, a man, a boy and a girl, were killed. The female driver of the minivan and a third youth were taken to University Medical Center with injuries not considered life-threatening.
On Monday afternoon, the sheriff’s office identified the three victims as Thomas Catan, 41, Abiel Catan, 12, and Ayana Catan, 7, all from Washington.
Wellman said Vrachnos suffered injuries that required treatment at a hospital. He was then jailed because he showed signs of impairment at the scene of the crash, she said.
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