Police say woman drove up to 82 mph in 35 mph zone before fatal wreck
A woman is accused of driving more than 80 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone before a fatal crash in Las Vegas, police said.
Takiyah Ross, 40, of Arizona, faces a charge of reckless driving resulting in death in connection with the wreck that killed 22-year-old William Alvarado, court records show.
Ross, identified by police as Takiyah Branham, was driving a 2007 Mercedes Benz C230 east on Bonanza Road toward the intersection with 21st Street “at what appeared to be a high rate of speed” at around 8 p.m. Friday, according to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report.
Alvarado was headed north on 21st Street in a 2006 BMW 325i and tried to make a left turn onto Bonanza Road. The BMW drove into the Mercedes’ path and the two cars collided, the report stated. The BMW spun out of control and ended up 167 feet away from the where the cars collided, according to the report.
Alvarado and Ross were taken to University Medical Center where Alvarado later died.
A sample of Ross’ blood was taken for examination, but the report did not include the result of the blood test.
Police interviewed witnesses and used tire marks on the road to determine that Ross was driving at a minimum of 53 miles per hour prior to the collision. An officer also found that the Mercedes’ speedometer needle was locked at about 82 miles per hour.
“During a vehicle collision, when a vehicle experiences a rapid loss of power, the stepper motors that operate a vehicle’s speedometer lose power and freeze the needle in place,” the report read.
Police said the damage to both cars was similar to other crashes where cars were going more than 80 mph and “therefore, an impact speed of 82 miles per hour is plausible.”
The posted speed limit for eastbound traffic on Bonanza Road was 35 mph and there are three intersections with marked crosswalks within less than a mile leading up to the intersection where the crash occurred, according to the report.
Ross is due in court on April 4, court records show.
Contact David Wilson at dwilson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @davidwilson_RJ on Twitter.
