A 23-year-old woman from Garden Grove, California, died after two SUVs collided on Friday, August 7, on U.S. 93 about 11 miles south of Wells.
Troopers responded to the crash at about 1:35 p.m. near Elko County mile marker 63. A preliminary investigation found that a gold Chevrolet Suburban was traveling north on U.S. 93 while a silver Kia SUV was traveling south toward it.
The Chevrolet crossed the center line and entered the wrong half of the roadway, according to the preliminary investigation. The Kia driver steered right in an attempt to avoid the collision, but the Chevrolet's left front struck the Kia's left front.
The impact sent both SUVs into rotations. The Chevrolet rotated counterclockwise and came to rest upright, facing south on the outside dirt shoulder. The Kia was redirected into a counterclockwise rotation before coming to rest upright, facing east against right-of-way fencing on the outside dirt shoulder.
The Kia driver, identified as 23-year-old Akary Garcia Santos, sustained life-threatening injuries and was pronounced deceased later that afternoon.
The crash remains under investigation by the Nevada Highway Patrol Major Incident Reconstruction Team.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information about what happened is asked to contact the NHP Elko Office at (775) 753-1111 or email ncemirt@dps.state.nv.us.
