5 killed in fiery crash after SUV flies off Phoenix freeway
Posted Jan 14, 2016 02:10:45 AM.
Last Updated Jan 14, 2016 02:44:53 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
PHOENIX – An SUV careened off a Phoenix freeway overpass, landed on a median and burst into flames, killing all five occupants who are believed to be an adult and four children, authorities said Thursday.
Investigators believe they know the victims’ identities but would not release information about them until autopsies are conducted, which could take several days, said Bart Graves, an Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman.
The SUV failed to slow enough at the top of an Interstate 10 off-ramp to make a turn Wednesday night, according to the department.
“There was skid (mark) on the ground, so the driver tried to slow down but was not able to negotiate that corner,” DPS Capt. Damon Cecil said.
After hitting a barrier, the vehicle flew end over end and then dropped 50 feet down to the freeway’s dirt median, where it landed on its wheels and burst into flames.
“It was fully engulfed,” Cecil said. “None of the occupants were able to get out.”
