9 hospitalized after crash involving pickup truck and UTV

PHOENIX – Peoria Fire-Medical officials say nine people have been taken to the hospital, following what Peoria Police describe as a head-on collision on May 3.

What we know:

According to a statement released by officials with the Peoria Fire-Medical Department, crews with multiple agencies responded to reports of a crash in the area of Castle Hot Springs Road and French Creek Road.

“Upon arrival, crews found a two-vehicle collision between a pickup truck and an off-road UTV,” read a portion of the statement.

Of the nine people involved in the crash, Peoria Fire-Medical officials say seven of them were in the UTV.

Dig deeper:

In a separate statement, Peoria Police officials said based on preliminary information, the UTV was headed north while the pickup truck was headed south when the crash happened.

“Investigators believe reduced visibility due to dust in the area may have been a contributing factor,” read a portion of Peoria Police’s statement.

Police say there were seven people inside the UTV at the time of the crash, including two adults. The UTV driver is believed to be a juvenile. Meanwhile, there were two adults inside the pickup at the time of the crash.

“The ages of those involved range from 16 to 48 years old,” Peoria Police wrote.

Peoria Police also said one of the passengers in the UTV was sitting on another passenger’s lap, and wasn’t wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. 

“Wear the protective gear, the proper protective gear,” said Peoria Police Sergeant Araceli Montes. “Make sure you’re secured in that vehicle. Make sure that you are riding with the right amount of people that the vehicle is made for. Again, with visibility in the area like dust, make sure you’re paying attention to where you’re going.”

Big picture view:

Of the nine people involved, fire-medical officials say four were listed in critical condition, and three of them were airlifted to the hospital. Three other people were listed in serious condition, while two suffered minor injuries.

Officials said some of the people injured in the crash were flown to the hospital.

Maricopa CountyNews