A man was killed early Thursday morning when his truck crashed through a guardrail and plunged into an 8-foot-deep drainage ditch.
The victim of the May 25 crash was identified as Frank Gamez, 76, said Sgt. Pete Dugan, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.
Shortly after 2 a.m., officers responded to the 500 block of North Igo Way for a report of a crash. The neighborhood is east of North Camino Seco and south of East Fifth Street.
Officers found the truck lying on its side in the ditch and Gamez was inside the truck. Tucson Fire Department paramedics arrived at the scene, but Gamez was pronounced dead shortly after their arrival, Dugan said. He said Gamez was the only occupant of the truck.
Traffic detectives determined that the 2002 Ford F250 was traveling south on Igo approaching Fifth where the road is split by a drainage ditch with guardrails and signage directing traffic.
Gamez, who was not wearing a seatbelt, did not follow the curve in the road and drove through the guardrail and into the ditch, said Dugan. Speed does not appear to be a factor in the crash, he said.
Since January, there have been 26 traffic fatalities in the city, compared to 18 at this time last year, police data shows.
