PHOENIX — The westbound lanes of Loop 202 have reopened north of Sky Harbor after a deadly crash involving multiple vehicles Sunday morning.
Officials say the incident happened just before 5 a.m. when a driver going westbound on Loop 202 lost control of their car. The vehicle crashed into the median wall at 40th Street, spun, and stopped facing the wrong way.
The driver left the area on foot and still has not been located.
A series of crashes happened after the initial incident.
Officials say a woman stopped her vehicle on the right shoulder, presumably to check on any injuries from the first crash. While she was out of her vehicle, another driver attempted to swerve away from the first vehicle and hit the woman, who later died at the hospital.
The victim has been identified by officials as 51-year-old Catherine King of Mesa.
Another crash happened when a tire from the first vehicle came off and went into the eastbound lanes. No injuries were reported from that crash.
Officials say another vehicle then crashed into the first vehicle. No injuries were reported from that crash.
Shortly after, there was another crash involving three vehicles. Nobody was injured in that crash, though one of the drivers was arrested for DUI.
The westbound lanes were closed until just after 11 a.m.
The Department of Public Safety initially reported that the incident was a wrong-way crash, but has since clarified that was not the case.
This incident remains under investigation.
On Sunday, Anton Avington answered the door to two DPS officers.
"When he said, 'I’m so sorry,'” Avington didn’t want to believe what he was being told. His wife, Cathy King, had been killed in a tragic accident earlier that morning.
"Not good at all, I lost my best friend," he added when speaking of the woman he had quickly fallen in love with and married in October 2024.
The sequence of events that led to the tragedy began at around 5:30 AM when a driver of a Dodge Durango hit the center median and caused the vehicle to stop in the middle of the highway. The driver then left the crash on foot.
Cathy, 51, saw the crash and stopped to offer help. She put on her hazard lights and stepped out of her vehicle in an attempt to assist. DPS said she reportedly tried to help but was struck by another car and later succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
"I’m upset because I feel like my wife died for nothing. She died trying to help someone, and that person just left the scene," said Avington.
Avington said they were set to move to a new home next month and begin a new chapter of their lives together. Now, instead of making plans for a new life, Avington is left to organize a funeral for his wife.
Cathy was a mother, a truck driver, and a person known for spreading joy everywhere she went. Her family describes her as someone who always had a heart full of kindness.
"If you were down and out and needed something, she’ll give you what you need," said Tony Rowell, her brother.
Cathy was originally from St. Louis, and her brother, Tony Rowell, spoke with ABC15 virtually from her hometown, sharing how his sister’s spirit would continue to live on.
"I will keep her happiness, her good spirit. I’ll just be a different person knowing she’s still looking down. Life is full of joy."
In the aftermath of the accident, DPS revealed that there were five separate collisions caused by the driver who left their Durango in the middle of the highway. It remains unclear why the driver left the crash on foot, but at least one of the incidents resulted in a DUI.
Police are interviewing everyone involved to locate the driver responsible for leaving the crash.
As Anton grapples with grief and the loss of his wife, he hopes for one thing: closure. "I hope you turn yourself in," he said, speaking directly to the person responsible. "You took away a loving mother, a family member, and a friend."
Family of Cathy created a GoFundMe account if you would like to donate.
