TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Many take a break from work during the Labor Day weekend, but it is a busy time on the road for law enforcement.
Local law enforcement agencies across the state again this year participated in a task force with the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. The aim is to reduce the number of serious crashes.
New numbers from GOHS give an insight into just how many stops happened over the weekend.
DANGEROUS WEEKEND
It was a deadly holiday weekend in southern Arizona. There were at least seven serious or fatal crashes in southern Arizona. A breakdown is below, but at the bottom of this story in an interactive map of all serious crashes in southern Arizona.
- On Aug. 30, a man was hit and killed while walking near Golf Links and Wilmot in Tucson. The Tucson Police Department said 34-year-old Richard Daniel Townsend was not in a crosswalk when he was hit. The driver who hit him stopped, cooperated with the investigation, and was not impaired.
- On Aug. 30, a woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash at Drexel and Palo Verde in Pima County. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said 25-year-old Fran Molina died after she crashed into the back of a flatbed tow truck. The PCSD said Molina was likely speeding and impaired.
- On Aug. 30, a man died following a single-vehicle rollover crash on Interstate 19 near Sahuarita Road in Pima County. Arizona DPS said 37-year-old Michael Anthony Vela died after being taken to the hospital.
- On Aug. 30, a person was injured in a motorcycle crash on the Interstate 19 ramp at West Esperanza Road in Pima County.
- On Aug. 30, a man died following a motorcycle crash near Aviation and Kino in Tucson. The TPD said Beckham Chadwick West, 20, was likely speeding when he lost control and was thrown into a power pole.
- On Aug. 31, a woman died in a single-vehicle crash near Glenn and Campbell in Tucson. The TPD said 58-year-old Georgia Ann Chavez was a passenger in a vehicle that hit a utility pole. The 44-year-old driver suffered serious injuries.
- On Aug. 31, a motorcyclist suffered critical injuries in a two-vehicle crash near Broadway and Kolb in Tucson. The TPD said the driver of the other vehicle did not need to be transported to the hospital.
In 2024, officers across Arizona responded to nearly 12,000 traffic stops during the Labor Day enforcement effort. This year, that number is nearly 6,000…