Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Fatal head-on crash closes part of Interstate 11

A fiery head-on crash on the newly opened Interstate 11 killed two people and injured two others this morning, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.

The crash happened about 9:45 a.m. on northbound I-11 near U.S. 93, west of Hoover Dam, Trooper Travis Smaka said. Passersby pulled the two men from a compact SUV before it caught fire, but they did not survive, he said.

The SUV, which was southbound, crossed into the northbound lanes and collided with a pickup truck near the Hoover Dam Lodge, Smaka said.

A passenger in the SUV died at the scene, and the driver died at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, Smaka said.

Both occupants of the pickup were taken to St. Rose Hospital, Smaka said. Information no their condition was not immediately available.

Northbound traffic on I-11 was shut down in the area and wasn’t expected to reopen until about 2:15 p.m., Smaka said.

The initial stretch of I-11, the first major addition to the federal intestate system in 26 years, opened Thursday.