Arizona man killed in Laughlin wrong-way crash identified
The Clark County coroner’s office identified the Arizona man who died after a wrong-way crash Monday afternoon in Laughlin.
Richard Pagett, 32, of Mohave Valley, Arizona, died at the scene from blunt force injuries, the Clark County coroner’s office said Wednesday afternoon.
A red Toyota RAV4 was traveling the wrong way at about 3 p.m. on eastbound state Route 163 and approached Pagett, who was driving a gray Hyundai Accent. Both drivers veered toward the south shoulder of the road when attempting to avoid a crash, the Nevada Highway Patrol said Wednesday.
The Toyota struck the Hyundai head-on, the Highway Patrol said.
The Toyota’s driver was transported to Western Arizona Regional Medical Center in Bullhead City with nonlife-threatening injuries. A passenger in the Toyota was airlifted to University Medical Center in Las Vegas in critical condition, the Highway Patrol said. Their conditions were unclear Wednesday.
Highway Patrol spokesman Travis Smaka said Wednesday that there was no evidence the wrong-way driver was impaired, and any charges the driver may face is pending the investigation.
The collision marked the Highway Patrol Southern Command’s first fatal crash in 2019.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.