A 34-year-old Yerington man was killed when his car collided with a wall near Highway 50 East on the new Carson City bypass Saturday morning, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.
Sgt. Mark Clark said Travis Williams was driving a white Chevy minivan southbound in the northbound lanes of the bypass just after 4 a.m. Saturday when the van crashed through four construction barrels and collided with a concrete barrier.
The car then caught fire, completely consuming the interior of the vehicle.
"This is one of the first wrecks I've seen where he ripped the exhaust manifold off the car," Clark said.
Although the cause of death is still under investigation, Clark said that with the extend of the damage to the car, it is likely Williams died on impact.
"Because the inside of the car was so burned, we don't know if he was wearing a seat belt," Clark said.
Investigators are still looking into where Williams crossed into the oncoming lanes, as well as the cause of the accident.
"We are looking at alcohol as a possible factor," Clark said. "(Williams) has priors involving alcohol so we are considering it."
The highway patrol is looking for possible witnesses who saw the van driving in the oncoming lanes or saw the vehicle cross.
Williams' death marks the first fatal accident on the new freeway, which opened in late February.
The Nevada Department of Transportation projects 15,000 commuters a day use the $120 million bypass, which is about 3.5 miles long and runs from the north edge of the city to Highway 50 East.
The freeway is the first built in Northern Nevada in a decade.
• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment