The other passenger in the vehicle, who was properly restrained in a seat belt, escaped the accident with minor injuries. Investigators continue to determine if other vehicles were involved in the accident or whether high speeds had an impact on the severity of the accident. They do note, however, that there was no indication that alcohol was a contributing factor to the fatal, roll-over accident.

Lee, originally from San Antonio, Texas, had served at Luke Air force Base since 2008 as part of the 56^th Equipment Maintenance Squadron. He is the second Luke Air Force service member to tragically die in a vehicle accident within a month. In late April, 29 year old, Staff Sargent Justin Miller was killed in a motorcycle accident.

Arizona currently has only three bans on cell-phone use while driving. In the cities of Phoenix and Tucson drivers are banned from texting while driving, which is considered a primary offense, and face a minimum $100 fine and school bus drivers cannot use cell phones at all while operating a bus. 2012 has been a busy year for distracted driving legislature in Arizona. Senate Bill 1056 would prevent underage drivers, with learner permits or class G licenses for less than 6 months, from utilizing wireless communication while driving. SB 1056 was approved in January and passed to the House. House Bill 2312 would outlaw driving while distracted, period. It also would require accident investigators to note distracted driving in an accident report. House Bill 2321 would outlaw texting while driving in the state of Arizona with a minimum fine of $50, or $200 if the driver was involved in an accident.

The driver of a 2001 Dodge Durango, lost control and crashed through a residential yard at Third Avenue and Florence Street in Casa Grande.  No one in the home was injured. 

Casa Grande Police had been notified earlier that two vehicles might be carrying undocumented aliens.  Homeland Security and Border Control were following both vehicles at the time of the crash, but they were not in pursuit..

At the crash, agents found a total of eleven occupants.  One occupant was ejected from the vehicle.  Three occupants were dead at the scene and eight occupants were taken to nearby hospitals and medical centers where one of the occupants died later from injuries received in the crash.

The driver of the Durango, Angela Celaya Gonzalez, age 29, of Eloy, lost control of the vehicle as she tried to make a turn.  She was taken into custody after her release from St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix on Tuesday morning.  Gonzalez was booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail in Phoenix and was  charged with four counts of second-degree murder.  Her bond is set at $2 million.  She was transported to Pinal County Jail later that day.

If you or someone close to you have been injured in a car accident, contact an experienced accident lawyer who has the knowledge to pursue the results you need and deserve.

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A 19-year-old, unlicensed driver of a white sedan was heading north on 37th Avenue near Elm Street in Phoenix on April 30 when the driver tried to pass a vehicle, police spokesman Sgt. Trent Crump told The Arizona Republic. The sedan the 19-year-old was driving crashed head-on into a pickup truck being driven in the southbound lane of 37th Avenue, Crump said.

The driver of the sedan and his passengers, a 21-year-old female and her 5-year-old son, Angel Alvarez, were sent to the hospital about 8 a.m., Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Jorge Enriquez said.

Angel was not breathing when paramedics arrived, and he later died at a trauma center, Enriquez said. Police said the child hit the dashboard during the collision. The mother suffered serious injuries. The driver of the car is in critical condition but is expected to survive, Crump said.

The driver of the sedan may have been intoxicated at the time of the fatal crash, Crump said. The driver is expected to face charges of manslaughter and aggravated assault.
Even though the sedan had properly functioning child restraints in the back seat, Crump said, police believe Angel may have been in the front seat and unrestrained.

The driver of the pickup was wearing a seatbelt and was not seriously injured.
Neither the driver’s nor the woman’s names were released.