Detailed Account of Sunday’s Multi-Vehicle I-17 Collision

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Southbound I-17 traffic on Sunday night, May 14, nearing Anthem after the I-17 crash north of Black Canyon City was cleared. Image courtesy ADOT

Sunday’s multi-vehicle collision that stopped southbound I-17 traffic for nearly four hours resulted from an earlier motorcycle crash, The Arizona Department of Public Safety said today in releasing details of the dual crashes.

The first accident, at about 5:45 p.m., involved a motorcyclist who lost control on the interstate, north of Black Canyon City, “and was thrown off the motorcycle into the lanes of traffic,” DPS said today. “Motorists stopped for the motorcyclist and traffic began to back up.”

About 3 minutes later, a semi-truck “failed to stop as it approached the backup and struck the rear end of a tour bus,” DPS explained in a statement. “The collision caused the tour bus to collide with a pickup truck that was in front of the bus. The semi-truck then ran off the roadway to the right and over the top of the guardrail.”

This second collision blocked all lanes. Traffic backed up several miles, north of Sunset Point, and didn’t begin inching along until about 9:30 p.m.

Clearing the scene required several tow trucks and a second tour bus, to help transport an estimated 27 passengers who had slight or no injuries.

“The motorcyclist was transported to Honor Health North Mountain for his injuries,” DPS said. “Five occupants from the pickup and five passengers on the tour bus were transported for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. The occupants of the semi-truck were uninjured.”

Crash-Prone Stretch

Accidents on I-17 between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point:
2011: 94
2015: 137
SOURCE: ADOT

The I-17 crash on May 14, 2017 involved a tour bus, a pickup truck and a semi-truck. Photo courtesy DPS
A semi-truck crashed into a guard rail on I-17 Sunday, May 14, 2017, after failing to stop when traffic backed up from a previous accident. Photo courtesy DPS
Robert Roy Britt
NoPho resident Robert Roy Britt has written for In&Out publications since its inception in 2005. Britt began his journalism career in New Jersey newspapers in the early 1990s. He later became a science writer and was editor-in-chief of the online media sites Space.com and Live Science. He has written four novels. .

Robert Roy Britt

NoPho resident Robert Roy Britt has written for In&Out publications since its inception in 2005. Britt began his journalism career in New Jersey newspapers in the early 1990s. He later became a science writer and was editor-in-chief of the online media sites Space.com and Live Science. He has written four novels. .

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