Overview
- A three-car crash on eastbound I-10 near 35th Avenue required firefighters to use the Jaws of Life to extricate a trapped driver who was loaded into an ambulance.
- A separate multi-car collision on Loop 202 Santan near McClintock Drive left a pickup off the roadway with its roof sheared and heavy front damage, according to on-scene video.
- Traffic officials closed lanes on both freeways, forcing major backups and sending drivers through the HOV lane in the Chandler area to bypass the crash scene.
- Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers are actively investigating both crashes and have not released confirmed injury totals or timetables for when lanes will reopen.
- Officials say the recent crashes follow earlier serious collisions in the region and they underscore continuing public-safety concerns about dangerous driving on Phoenix-area freeways, so commuters should avoid the areas if possible.