PHOENIX — An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of driving drunk and causing a car collision on New Year's Day that killed a mother of three young children.
Public records identify Jaxon L. Collins as the driver who allegedly killed 27-year-old Crystal Irene Garcia shortly after midnight on Saturday.
Thirty minutes after celebrating the start of the new year, Garcia and her family were hit by the suspect's car near 38th Street and Greenway Road.
The mother’s three children, ages 8, 5, and 6 months old, and husband sustained minor injuries from the crash.
Public records show Collins allegedly had a blood-alcohol level of 0.176 at the time of the crash, which is twice above the legal limit.
Data extracted from the suspect's vehicle showed Collins had allegedly been driving at a speed of 89 mph seconds before impact in an area with a speed limit of 45 mph, court records show.
Collins was initially released by police after the crash but has since been booked into jail on charges of manslaughter, endangerment, and aggravated assault.
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Deaths on Arizona roadways:
Data from the Arizona Department of Transportation shows that roadway fatalities have been gradually rising in Arizona over the last decade:
2011: 825 deaths
2012: 821 deaths
2013: 844 deaths
2014: 774 deaths
2015: 895 deaths
2016: 952 deaths
2017: 1,000 deaths
2018: 1,010 deaths
2019: 982 deaths
2020: 1,057 deaths