Driver in August fiery crash in Las Vegas died of heart condition
The driver who struck a trailer in a fiery crash in August that left herself and two others dead suffered a natural death due to a heart condition, the Clark County coroner’s office said Tuesday.
About 11:15 a.m. Aug. 13, a 2001 Volvo sedan traveling north on the ramp connecting Interstate 15 to northbound U.S. Highway 95 veered across traffic and struck a trailer transporting an off-road vehicle, the Nevada Highway Patrol has said. The three people in the Volvo — 29-year-old Almetrine De Angela Rushing, 28-year-old Artajha Smith and 8-year-old Jh’sani Rushing-Fincher — all died in the crash.
The Highway Patrol on Tuesday confirmed the 29-year-old woman was driving the Volvo when it veered into the trailer. The coroner’s office said Rushing’s death was natural due to cardiomyopathy, a disease that affects heart muscles. Dilated cardiomyopathy can cause heart valve problems, irregular heartbeats and heart failure, according to the American Heart Association.
After the Volvo struck the trailer, which was being towed by a pickup truck, both the car and the truck went over the ramp’s wall. The Volvo was pinned under the truck on an electrical pole, and both vehicles caught fire.
Smith and Jh’sani’s deaths were ruled accidental due to injuries from the fire, the coroner’s office said. A dog was also killed in the crash.
Two people in the pickup, the driver and his 4-year-old daughter, escaped unharmed, the Highway Patrol has said.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.