PHOENIX — A deadly wrong-way crash shut down a portion of Interstate 10 and US 60 in the Phoenix-Tempe area early Wednesday morning.
Arizona Department of Public Safety officials say a head-on crash occurred around 3:20 a.m. involving the wrong-way driver and a semi-truck.
The wreck occurred in the left lanes of westbound I-10 near the US-60 transition.
The semi-truck occupants were not injured, but the wrong-way driver in a Jeep Renegade was pronounced dead at the scene.
He was identified as 27-year-old Sergio Gutierrez-Vasquez of Tempe.
Four other drivers struck debris at the crash site, causing non-life-threatening injuries to one other driver, DPS says.
Gutierrez-Vasquez is believed to have traveled in the wrong direction up to a few miles, with multiple callers reporting the wrong-way driver before the crash. It's not yet known where he entered the freeway.
Traffic on westbound I-10 was blocked for several hours with the closure impacting morning rush-hour traffic. It reopened around 8 a.m.
A portion of US 60 was also shut down for some time due to the crash but reopened before 5 a.m.
BREAKING: Two major #Valley freeways are CLOSED. US 60 WB at I-10 WB is blocked off due to a deadly wrong-way crash investigation. @AmeliaFabianoTV is on the scene. The Loop 202 WB (Red Mtn) is CLOSED near Loop 101 (Pima) due to a police incident. We have team coverage #abc15 pic.twitter.com/03NLzH0iD4
— Megan Thompson (@MeganABC15) March 9, 2022
No further information was immediately available.
