Driver in North Las Vegas crash that killed 9 people was traveling over 100 mph, police say
Four of the nine people killed when a car traveling triple the speed limit hit a minivan in the Las Vegas area were children, authorities said Sunday.
The Clark County Office of the Medical Examiner said Sunday that Fernando Yeshua Mejia, 5; Adrian Zacarias, 10; Lluvia Daylenn Zacarias, 13; Bryan Axel Zacarias, 15; Gabriel Mejia-Barrera, 23; David Mejia-Barrera, 25; and Jose Zacarias-Caldera, 35, all died of blunt force trauma, and the manner of death was an accident.
Those seven victims, all from North Las Vegas, were all traveling together in a Toyota Siena, the coroner’s office said. Alexander Cuevas, a North Las Vegas police spokesperson, told NBC News on Monday that the seven were all related, but not part of the same immediate family.
The driver of a Dodge Challenger, identified as Gary Dean Robinson, 59, of North Las Vegas, was driving more than 100 mph when he ran a red light on a road where the speed limit is 35 mph, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
His passenger, Tanaga Ravel Miller, 46, of North Las Vegas, was also pronounced dead at the scene, Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse said Monday.
Six cars and a total of 15 people were involved in the crash, police added. The surviving six victims suffered minor and non-life threatening to serious injuries.
The NTSB on Sunday said it was “launching a go-team to investigate” the multivehicle crash.
“There was an unprecedented loss of life that occurred in our community yesterday afternoon,” North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee said. “The people who were lost were parents, children, neighbors, friends and loved ones, who touched a tremendous number of people alongside whom we now grieve.”
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak wrote on Twitter: "Our hearts ache for the families & loved ones of the 9 people killed in this senseless act."
