On Oct. 22, the Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department responded to a two-vehicle collision on U.S. 93, between Western Elite and Coyote Springs.

Alamo NHP Sargent Guy Davis reported a Ford four-door sedan struck a GMC four-door half-ton pickup a little after 8 a.m.

In his official report, Davis stated that a 2008 Ford sedan, driven by an off-duty Nevada Department of Corrections employee, was southbound on U.S. 93 about five miles north of the Lincoln/Clark County line. A white 2017 GMC Sierra pickup with four occupants, driven by a 30-year man employed by Great Basin Institute, was heading north.

The driver of the Ford fell asleep and drifted across the center line to the east side of the highway and onto the dirt shoulder. There, it rotated clockwise and back into the northbound travel lane.

The right front of the Ford then struck the right-side rear wheels of the passing northbound Sierra pickup, which caused it to rotate clockwise and into the southbound lane.

The pickup instantly burst into flames and struck a section of the west side guardrail, remaining upright, but fully engulfed. A woman riding in the left-rear passenger seat suffered burns to her face and hands in escaping the flames and was transported by ambulance to the UMC Trauma Center.

The driver of the pickup also suffered minor injuries and burns, but was treated on scene and not taken to the hospital. The two other occupants were not injured.

The driver of the Ford, a 23-year old man, was not injured in the accident.

Sheriff Kerry Lee said Pahranagat Valley Volunteer Fire and EMT responded and transported the female victim to meet with a Medic West ambulance near the Love’s Truck Stop interchange.

Davis reported U.S. 93 was shut down in both directions for approximately an hour. “Fortunately, though,” he said, “[Nevada Department of Forestry (NDF)] had a vehicle close to the scene and was able to clear both vehicles from the highway and get the road reopened.” He expressed his thanks for NDF vehicle being so close that the roadway did not have be closed for a much longer time.

Lee said, “I think the reason there were less injuries here was because it was not a straight head-on collision, but rather an indirect hit.”