Two occupants of a pickup truck were killed in a fiery single-vehicle crash early Sunday, Tucson police said.
At about 1:30 a.m., Tucson police officers were sent to a reported crash at the intersection of East Valencia Road and South Nogales Highway. The crash involved a 2005 black Chevrolet Silverado that had broken into several pieces and caught fire, according to a news release from the Tucson Police Department.
The two occupants of the truck were pronounced dead at the scene. Police identified them as driver Jaen Soto Machado, 19, and passenger Yairelma Sarahi Holguin, 20.
Detectives determined the truck was northbound on South Nogales Highway in the curb lane, traveling at a high rate of speed, police said. As the truck approached East Valencia Road it struck the right-turn island that separates right-turning vehicles from through-traffic on South Nogales Highway. The Silverado continued over the island, crossed the intersection and hit the traffic signal pole on the northeast corner. The force of the impact caused the truck to split into several parts.
Police determined the vehicleβs speed, which was well in excess of the posted speed limit, and failure to reduce and control speed to avoid a collision were the major contributing factors in the collision.
The investigation remains ongoing to determine if there were any other contributing factors in the collision.
