Driver killed in Highway 160 head-on crash Tuesday afternoon

Officials from the Nevada State Police have yet to release the identity of a man killed in a two-vehicle crash along Highway 160 near Rainbow Avenue on Tuesday Mar. 18.

Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Services Chief Scott Lewis described the accident as a high-impact head-on collision which occurred at approximately 4:10 p.m.

“We responded for report of a two-vehicle accident with injuries,” Lewis told the Pahrump Valley Times. “While responding, we were notified that at least one of the occupants was mechanically entrapped inside their vehicle. As we arrived on location, we found that the one driver was mechanically entrapped, and had not survived the injuries sustained in the impact.”

Lewis went on to say that the second vehicle contained a severely injured driver that required a Mercy Air flight to UMC Trauma in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, Nevada State Police Trooper Shawn Haggstrom noted in a news release that the preliminary investigation indicated that a white 2001 Toyota Tacoma pickup was traveling southbound on Highway 160, just north of Rainbow Avenue, when the driver for unknown reasons veered left of center into the northbound lanes and struck a grey 2023 Dodge Ram pickup truck traveling northbound along the highway.

“The driver of the Dodge attempted evasive action by steering right to avoid a collision with the Toyota, but was unsuccessful,” the release stated. “The right front of the Toyota struck the front of the Dodge where the Toyota was re-directed to the left, rotated counter-clockwise and entered onto the paved northbound shoulder in the desert area.”

Haggstrom noted that the identity of the deceased will be released by the Clark County Coroner’s Office following notification.

The investigation is underway by the Nevada State Police Highway Patrol Traffic Homicide Unit.

Year to date, the Nevada State Police Southern Command has investigated 14 fatal crashes resulting in 14 fatalities.