Crashes keep emergency crews busy during the past week

Brush fires and motor vehicle crashes dominated the majority of service calls for Pahrump fire crews.

On Monday, Oct. 10, a motorcyclist was flown to UMC Trauma after hitting a burro along a dark stretch of north Highway 160 just after 7 p.m.

Pahrump Fire Chief Scott Lewis said crews were originally dispatched to the area of Bell Vista Road and Highway 160.

“The address was amended to be north of Simkins Street and we found the accident in the area of Harris Farm Road,” he said. “It was a motorcycle versus a burro in the roadway. There were significant injuries to both the burro and the motorcycle rider. The rider’s injuries met the criteria for flight and Mercy Air-21 was brought to the scene. Patient care was then transferred to Mercy Air, who flew that patient to UMC Trauma in Las Vegas. Nye County Animal Control and the sheriff’s office had to euthanize the animal on scene.”

Also on Monday, one person was transported to Desert View Hospital following a two-vehicle rear-end collision along Frontage Road just after 3 p.m. One person was cited in the low-speed collision involving a Mercedes Benz and late model pickup truck.

On Sunday, fire crews were dispatched to the 1200 block of South Highway 160 for a two-vehicle collision just before 5 p.m, where one person was transported to Desert View Hospital.

On Saturday, fire crews were summoned to the area of south Warren Street for a report of a grass fire just before 1 a.m.

“Crews arrived and found a grass fire moving alongside the roadway,” Lewis said. “There were no immediate structure exposures and the fire was quickly controlled without incident. It is undetermined as far as the ignition source.”

Two hours later, fire crew crews were dispatched to North Terry Drive following an explosion in an occupied home.

“Upon arrival, crews found a refrigerator which apparently had been involved in an explosion,” Lewis said. “There was fire in the area of the appliance that was self-extinguished. There was also significant damage to adjacent rooms of the house. There were no injuries and that investigation is underway.”

on Oct. 4, Pahrump fire crews responded to an injury motor vehicle accident at 6:20 a.m.

“It was a one-vehicle rollover accident about one-half mile east of Death Valley Junction,” Lewis said. “While this was a mutual aid assignment, our crews responded with an engine company as well as a medic unit. They provided care to a patient who sustained injuries as a result of that one-vehicle rollover accident.”

Roughly 12 hours later, fire crews thwarted a trash fire threatening two nearby occupied structures on the far north end of the valley.

“Upon arrival, crews found a large rubbish fire sandwiched between two structures,” Lewis said. “Residents and the fire department prevented the primary dwelling from catching on fire. One person sustained some minor burns and was evaluated on scene but refused further medical.”

A two-vehicle collision on Highway 160 last Thursday shut down all northbound traffic for up to an hour just after 3 p.m.

“We were dispatched to Highway 160 in front of Panda Express for a T-bone-type collision,” Lewis said. “Crews arrived and completed a scene size-up as well as risk assessment and found no additional scene hazards. However, there was a significant impact which caused major damage to both vehicles. All occupants displayed injuries consistent with airbag deployment, but none were transported from the scene.”

Three hours later Pahrump crews were summoned to a mutual aid assignment on Highway 160 at mile marker 30 in Clark County just after 6 p.m.

“As crews arrived at the location, Clark County Fire Department also arrived and transported the injured patients to a Las Vegas-based hospital,” Lewis said.

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes