Two killed, 11 critically injured as pickup truck collides into group of cyclists in Arizona
PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Two cyclists were killed and 11 others were critically injured after a pickup truck rammed into a large group of cyclists as they rode across a bridge in Arizona, police reported. The crash took place just before 8 am on Saturday, February 25, when the vehicle hit the cyclist group on the Cotton Lane Bridge in Goodyear, a suburb of Phoenix.
One woman was pronounced dead at the scene, and a man succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. The 11 other victims were taken to three different hospitals with various injuries, the police department said without providing additional details. The driver of the pickup truck, who has not been identified, remained at the scene and was cooperating with the police. The Goodyear Police Department has declined to comment on his arrest, Daily Mail reported.
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What caused the crash?
"We are sad to update you that this is a fatal crash with two confirmed deceased cyclists. One adult female and one adult male. This crash involved a single vehicle (pick-up truck). The adult male driver remained on the scene. This investigation is ongoing," the Goodyear Police Department said in a statement released on Facebook. It is unclear what caused the crash, but the authorities have launched an investigation and barricaded the area, according to ABC news.
🚨#BREAKING: A Truck rams into numerous cyclists with multiple injuries and fatalities reported
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 25, 2023
📌#Goodyear | #Arizona
Currently, dozens of emergency crews are responding to a major accident in Goodyear Arizona after a pickup truck rams into numerous cyclists at least 12… https://t.co/EWIpL3WVve pic.twitter.com/dsVaL8XuRc
Similar crash in Orlando
The horrific crash came on the heels of another accident involving a dirt bike and a pickup truck that left two children dead and an adult injured. Officers from the Orlando Police Department responded to the crash on the 1700 block of Historic Goldsboro Blvd on Friday, February 24, around 7.30 pm, after a Ford 150 truck collided with a dirt bike while attempting to turn left onto Mulberry Ave.
The dirt bike was driven by a 34-year-old male, and his two children, aged two and five, were passengers on it. The three members were transported to area hospitals, where the two children were pronounced dead by doctors. "There is absolutely no reason that this should have occurred this evening. Tragic and completely avoidable doesn't begin to describe the loss of these two young lives," said Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith. "Those children should never have been on that dirt bike, and that dirt bike should never have been on the road. Those little ones should have been home getting ready to be tucked into bed, not speeding down the road in the dark. “
According to the Sanford Police Department, criminal charges are pending regarding the dirt bike that was "not street-legal, had no headlight, and was reported to be traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of the crash." Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Sanford Police Department.
