Woman dies in Highway 50 accident

A Silver Springs woman was killed in a head-on collision in Stagecoach on Thursday morning.

According to Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Chuck Allen, the elderly woman was pronounced dead at the scene of the 11 a.m. accident on Highway 50 East near Stagecoach Drive.

The victim's name is being withheld until next of kin can be notified.

"I was westbound with my cruise control set and the driver of the other (eastbound) car drifted over into my lane and tagged me," said Richard "Doc" Dolan, 58, as he stood next to his totaled Dodge Ram pickup.

The woman's Ford Taurus sideswiped Dolan's truck, before crashing head-on into a 12-ton tanker truck that was behind him.

"I saw her drifting," recalled Kustom Kreations truck driver Lee Roberts, 57, of Sparks, "You didn't have time to think."

The impact of the Taurus into the tanker shredded the front of the four-door sedan, sending engine parts and debris flying. A wheelchair, once contained in the car's trunk, lay mangled in the street.

Allen said it's unclear why the woman drifted into oncoming traffic.

Dolan said he did not see her prior to the collision, so he did not know if she was conscious at the time.

"By the time I stopped spinning, it was all over," he said.

As Roberts and Dolan talked about their experience, Lyon County Deputy Gary Barwig walked over to introduce the men to the Sheriff's Department chaplain.

"Do you guys need to talk to him or anything," Barwig gently asked the men.

Both remained silent for just a moment, until Roberts said sadly, "You just need to say a prayer for that lady."

"Yeah," Dolan added. "You need to be with her, chaplain. We're OK."

• Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.