Overview
- A white Kia crashed into the back of a semi-truck near 51st Avenue and Van Buren Street, and the Kia driver, Jamison Lamont Saunders, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene while the semi driver was uninjured and remained to speak with police.
- Police told reporters they believe the passenger car did not stop before striking the truck and that detectives are treating the crash as an active investigation into its cause.
- Crews initially closed the intersection so detectives could gather evidence and later reopened it after on-scene work was completed.
- Arizona’s Family reporters observed the Kia lodged beneath the semi with heavy damage to the driver side, a detail investigators will use when reconstructing the crash.
- The collision adds to a series of recent serious crashes in Phoenix this month and underscores rising local concern about roadway safety and police crash investigations.