After string of fatal DUI crashes, deep sense of tragedy hits victims’ loved ones

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Friday, Sept. 27, 2019 | 2 a.m.

Three times in five days, debris scattered across Las Vegas roadways has been indicative of the brute force, destruction and death that suspected DUI motorists can leave behind.

At the northwest, central and southeast valley scenes, the car parts have been cleared away and the yellow tape used to preserve evidence has been taken down, but the physical devastation persists in images and details released by Metro Police.

Just feet from one of the locations, the heartache of losing a loved one was apparent Thursday night as about 50 mourners gathered to honor one of the victims, Christina Gates.

“The week has been bad,” said Metro traffic bureau Lt. Bret Ficklin on Thursday afternoon, noting that a driver involved in a fourth fatal crash investigated Wednesday in Las Vegas — a hit-and-run that killed a bicyclist — hadn’t been identified.

Since January, when he began working for the traffic bureau, Ficklin has responded to many of the 78 traffic fatalities Metro has probed this year. Each makes him think about loved ones, himself and driving habits.

As preventable as they can be, fatal crashes can also be unintentional, he said. Impairment, speeding and failing to yield are the top three causes of traffic deaths on local roadways, he continued, but whether the culprit is drunk or simply distracted, the outcome can often be the same.

In any case, Ficklin said, drivers operating outside the law are not only risking harm to themselves but to the rest of the community — and it can happen to anyone.

In one of the three DUI-related crashes — reported Saturday morning when a suspect sped through a red light on Cheyenne Avenue and Soft Breeze Drive — the impact was so violent the front-wheel assembly, engine and transmission were separated from the compact SUV that took the brunt of the force. The innocent driver was critically injured, while his passenger was killed.

Media reports identified the fatal victim as Robin Shafer, 62, of Las Vegas. Additionally, four pedestrians were hurt, including one who suffered life-threatening injuries, police said. Gabriel Haas, 32, was jailed on 10 DUI and reckless driving counts, records show.

In another, the mangled front of the victim’s car, with dozens of fragments nearby, resembled an explosion. Police said a driver veered into wrong-way traffic Tuesday morning on Sahara Avenue, and slammed onto Christina Gates’ car at Steve Regazio Court, killing her.

Eileen Gonzalez, 33, who had a previous DUI conviction in Las Vegas, was suspected again of driving under the influence, police said. She survived.

Then a short video showed the aftermath of a demolition from an early Thursday crash. A car had blown through a red light on Tropicana Avenue and crashed into the side steps of a box truck at the Nellis Boulevard intersection. The car “experienced underride,” in which the car is partially pancaked below the large vehicle, police said.

The unrestrained DUI suspect driving the car was killed, while two of his passengers were critically injured, police said.

The brutality of such crashes is not much different than that inflicted in violent crimes, Lt. Ficklin said. And although about 30 fewer people have died on Las Vegas roads this year compared with the same time period last year, Metro has investigated more crashes than homicides in 2019.

Authorities continue their efforts to curb dangerous driving behaviors through enforcement, education and engineering, Ficklin said. A DUI strike team born in late October has made almost 1,000 arrests in less than a year. However, Ficklin lamented, they haven’t been able to catch them all.

Time will tell if more arrests, public service announcements or traffic signs will ever rid the community of senseless traffic deaths.

At least one of the latest crashes was captured on video, said Ficklin, who wishes the community could see and reflect on how horrifying injuries and death really are, away from sanitized images filmed by media cameras.

For its part, Metro has published short videos on its social media platforms from the scenes, in which it pleads with the public with messages like “come on Las Vegas” and “change starts with you.”

“It’s disheartening,” Ficklin said.

An early autumn wind breezed Thursday night where Gates died the previous day. On a nearby sidewalk, dozens of loved ones, including co-workers and family members, surrounded an enlarged photo the woman took with her husband of just a few months. “I love you,” read a message on top, a big, red heart in the place of the word “love.”

Religious glass candles were lit below, on a rocky patch in front of bushes where bouquets of flowers and a wreath rested. Mourners toted white candles and listened to Pastor Fredrick Cager share a similar message to that of authorities.

If you see someone drinking, don’t let them drive, he said. “We have to make sure that this doesn’t happen again. Amen?” he asked. “Amen,” the group responded.

Cager, who married Christina and James Gates four or five months ago, later said in an interview that the victim was her husband’s balance, “his rock.” The pastor described Christina Gates as a calm and “regal” woman, the “nicest” person.

One of Christina Gates’ children, a little girl, approached Cager to say “bye, bye pastor,” who told the child he loved her. “I love you, too,” said the girl, breaking down and hugging the man.

In his final remarks, Cager told the crowd that sometimes there are no words to express grief but that they should not leave without hugging Gates’ family members. “Let them know I am here for you.”

They encircled James Gates, waiting to embrace him. One after another, they approached, shared a few intimate words and just wrapped their arms around the grieving man, who shook and cried.