2 dead, driver suspected of DUI after 5-vehicle crash

By Pashtana Usufzy

Published Monday, July 13, 2015 | 9:59 a.m.

Updated Monday, July 13, 2015 | 5:15 p.m.

Two people were killed in a five-vehicle crash at a North Las Vegas intersection Sunday night after a 26-year-old man reportedly ran a red light, according to Nevada Highway Patrol.

The North Las Vegas man was driving a 2007 Toyota pickup south on Lamb Boulevard a little before 9 p.m. Sunday near Interstate 15 when he entered an intersection despite a red light, Trooper Loy Hixson said.

Witnesses told the highway patrol the pickup might have been going 100 mph when it ran the light and slammed into the other vehicles.

The pickup struck a 2009 Honda pickup and a 2009 Ford Fusion, Hixson said. The Fusion crashed into a 2002 Chevy Tahoe, which also hit the Honda, Hixson said.

A 2000 Ford Expedition was hit by debris, he said.

The Toyota ended up on the west landscaped shoulder near the northbound Interstate 15 offramp, and the driver was transported to University Medical Center in critical condition, he said.

The Clark County Coroner's Office identified the deceased drivers as North Las Vegas residents Sharrod Elmer Hightower Jr., 34, and John Kirk Rodda, 52.

Rodda, the driver of the Honda, died of multiple blunt-force trauma at the scene, according to the Coroner's Office.

Hightower, the driver of the Fusion, also died on scene, but his official cause of death has not yet been released, according to the highway patrol and the Coroner's Office.

A 22-year-old North Las Vegas woman and 5-year-old girl in the Tahoe were taken to UMC in serious condition and have been released, Hixson said.

The 42-year-old woman driving the Expedition was not transported, and the road was reopened about 2:45 a.m., he said.

The Toyota driver is expected to be charged with disregarding a traffic signal and speeding, Hixson said. Depending upon the results of a toxicology test, he may also face a driving under the influence charge, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.