Friday, May 22, 2015

18-year-old who had recently graduated killed in early morning car crash in Gilbert, Arizona


May 22, 2015
GILBERT, AZ (KPHO/KTVK) -  
 
A teenager is dead after an early morning car wreck in Gilbert.

It happened shortly before 1 a.m. Friday at Val Vista Dive and Elliot Road.

According to Lt. Hugh White of the Gilbert Police Department, Jasmine Rios, 18, was riding in a car driven by an unidentified 17-year-old girl. They were heading west on Elliot Road when their vehicle collided with a pickup truck that was northbound on Val Vista Drive.

Harrison Smith, also 18, was behind the wheel of the truck.

White said police believe Smith and the other teen driver celebrated their high school graduations Thursday night.

Rios suffered critical injuries. She was transported to a local hospital where doctors pronounced her dead. Gilbert police said Rios was a cousin visiting from Texas.

The conditions of Smith and the other driver were not immediately available.

White said the Gilbert Police Traffic Reconstruction Team is working to piece together the moments leading up to the crash. They also will try determine if impairment was a factor.