Accident injures couple on State Route 318 near Bristol Wells

Nevada Highway Patrol reported just after 10 a.m. Dec. 4, a 1998 Ford Excursion pulling a small trailer with an ATV aboard, traveling northbound on SR 318 at mile marker 43, near the Bristol Wells turnoff, lost control on the icy highway, crossed over into the southbound lane and collided with a 2007 Toyota RAV4, driven by a 73-year old? woman and an 85-year old male passenger, both from Ely, but names not given. Those in the Ford were from Las Vegas, but names were not given for either vehicle.

The collision was left front-to-left front with the Toyota going off the west side of the highway and over on the drivers side, trapping the woman inside. The Ford spun out in the in the roadway, blocking both lanes of traffic.

NHP Sergeant Guy Davis said the woman was trapped in the vehicle for about 45 minutes, before bystanders and Troopers were able to help put the vehicle back on its wheels. She sustained serious injuries to the left side of her head and a compound fracture of the left arm and elbow. She was life flighted by Mercy Air to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, and later reported to be in serious, but stable condition.

Alamo NHP, Lincoln County Sheriff, Pahranagat Valley Volunteer Fire and Ambulance all responded.

An unnamed 52-year old man, riding in the Ford Excursion suffered a compound fracture to his right ankle and was also life flighted to UMC. The man in the Toyota, complaining of abdominal pains was taken to UMC by ambulance. The passenger in the Ford was not injured and refused medical treatment.

The Lincoln County Sheriff?s Department reported they, NHP, and Pahranagat Fire and Ambulance had been investigating two other non-life threatening accidents with only minor or no injuries just a few miles further south on 318 that morning, and were able to respond to the major accident scene within minutes.

Sgt. Davis said he was notified of the crash by another motorist who passed by the first accident Davis was investigating, saw the Ford-Toyota accident, and came back to notify NHP. ?Being as close as we were,? Davis said, ?we, and the ambulance could get up there quickly.?

Nevada Department of Transportation closed 318 for a couple of hours, then reopened for a time to one-way traffic, until debris was cleared away.

Davis also gave high praise to Pahranagat Valley Volunteer Fire and Emergency Medical Services for their outstanding work on scene.

A one-car accident along the same stretch of road, just a mile further south, at marker? 42, occurred in February this year and killed a man from Eagle, Idaho.