Four children were among the nine people killed when a car traveling triple the speed limit hit a minivan in the Las Vegas area, authorities said Sunday.
The Clark County Office of the Medical Examiner said Sunday that Fernando Yeshua Mejia, 5; Adrian Zacarias, 10; Lluvia Daylenn Zacarias, 13; Bryan Axel Zacarias, 15; Gabriel Mejia-Barrera, 23; David Mejia-Barrera, 25; and Jose Zacarias-Caldera, 35, all died of blunt force trauma and that the manner of death was an accident.
Those seven victims, all from North Las Vegas, were all traveling together in a Toyota Sienna, the coroner’s office said. Alexander Cuevas, a North Las Vegas police spokesperson, said Monday that the seven were related but not part of the same immediate family.
The driver of a Dodge Challenger, identified as Gary Dean Robinson, 59, of North Las Vegas, was driving more than 100 mph when he ran a red light on a road where the speed limit is 35 mph, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
His passenger, Tanaga Ravel Miller, 46, of North Las Vegas, was also pronounced dead at the scene, Coroner Melanie Rouse said Monday.
Six cars and 15 people were involved in the crash, police added. The surviving six victims suffered minor and non-life-threatening to serious injuries.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday that it was “launching a go-team to investigate.”
North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee said: “There was an unprecedented loss of life that occurred in our community yesterday afternoon. The people who were lost were parents, children, neighbors, friends and loved ones, who touched a tremendous number of people alongside whom we now grieve.”
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak wrote on Twitter: “Our hearts ache for the families & loved ones of the 9 people killed in this senseless act.”