Las Vegas Beltway reopens after fatal rollover near Jones Boulevard
A concrete mixer truck flipped over and caught fire on the Las Vegas Beltway and Jones Boulevard Tuesday morning, killing the driver and shutting the freeway down for more than eight hours.
The truck was traveling east on the beltway. For unknown reasons, it crashed into a temporary barrier rail about 400 yards west of Jones Boulevard about 9:50 a.m., according to Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Jeremie Elliott.
The truck flipped over the rail, and burst into flames, trapping the driver inside. The driver of the truck died at the scene, Elliott said.
The beltway was closed in both directions for eight hours before it reopened just before 6 p.m. Tuesday night. The traffic lanes are not separated by a median in the area of the beltway of the crash, further complicating the traffic situation, Elliott said.
“The biggest challenge was getting the truck upright,” said Elliott, adding that it took two large tow trucks to move the fully loaded mixer that weighed nearly 30 tons.
The identify of the driver who died and official cause of death will be released by the Clark County coroner’s office.
Contact reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjounal.com or 702-383-4638. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.
Rochel Leah Goldblatt contributed to this report.
