You may think that driving alone on an open stretch of highway might be the least dangerous type of driving. After all, there are few (or no) other vehicles on the road to collide with, and there is plenty of space to maneuver.
However, these situations result in more deadly auto accidents than you might think. The boredom that can set in for a driver on a deserted desert highway can become a distraction – and it only takes a moment for a vehicle to leave the roadway.
That appears to be what happened in Nye County over the weekend in a one-vehicle crash on U.S. 95. On Saturday morning around 5am, a pickup truck was heading north on the highway and was several miles south of Beatty. According to authorities, the pickup drifted across the southbound side of the pavement, left the roadway and ran onto the paved shoulder, steered right and overcorrected, and rolled over several times.
The driver, a 61-year old Pahrump man, was pronounced dead at the scene. His three passengers had to be airlifted to University Medical Center in Las Vegas with various injuries.
As tragic as this auto accident is, the driver will probably still be held liable for the injuries to the three passengers. So if they are not related to the driver, they may choose to file personal injury lawsuits against the estate of the Pahrump man. These suits could help the injured victims get reimbursed for medical expenses and missed time at work.