Head-on crash kills 1 person, ignites fire on US95 in rural Nevada county

LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — A fiery head-on crash last week on U.S. Highway 95 in Mineral County killed one person, according to the Nevada Department of Public Safety.

An investigation determined the crash on Tuesday, July 2, occurred when a southbound tractor-trailer rig tried to pass in a no-passing zone between the small towns of Luning and Mina. The green Freightliner truck collided with a northbound Saturn Ion sedan, striking the front of the Saturn in the northbound travel lane, according to a Tuesday, July 9, news release from the Nevada State Police Highway Patrol.

The Saturn caught fire after the collision and became fully engulfed in flames, an NSP news release said. The driver died at the scene.

The Saturn driver’s identity is being withheld pending next-of-kin notification.

The driver and a co-driver of the Freightliner were transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

A third vehicle, a black Toyota Camry sedan, struck debris from the crash and became disabled. That driver and a passenger were not injured.

The crash occurred near mile marker 22 in Mineral County, 3 miles south of the town of Luning and 28 miles south of Hawthorne.

U.S. 95 is a single lane in each direction in that area, and traffic slows down as it goes through the small towns before increasing again to 70 mph.

The investigation into the crash is continuing, led by the Nevada Highway Patrol Northern Command East Multi-Disciplinary Investigation and Reconstruction Team (M.I.R.T.). If you have any information about the crash or you witnessed it, please contact the NHP Elko Office at (775) 753-1111 or e-mail ncemirt@dps.state.nv.us

2024 year to date: Nevada Highway Patrol, Northern Command East has investigated 19 fatal crashes resulting in 26 fatalities so far this year.

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