PHOENIX — A Chandler man has been arrested on manslaughter and endangerment charges after allegedly causing a crash that killed a man in December 2023.
Ernesto Martinez, 31, was speeding and swerving in and out of lanes when he caused the crash, according to court documents.
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The crash happened near 43rd Avenue and McDowell Road. Court documents said Martinez was speeding while driving a black Dodge Durango when he came upon slower-moving traffic. Martinez swerved to avoid hitting the cars in front of him and hit a Mercury Grand Marquis head-on in the two-way left turn lane, the documents said.
The Grand Marquis was pushed into oncoming traffic and was hit again by a BMW, records said.
A man in the car suffered a brain injury and died on Jan. 4, the court documents say. Another person in the car had broken bones and the other passengers were uninjured, records said.
Witnesses at the scene told police Martinez was driving erratically and made multiple lane changes at a high rate of speed in heavy traffic to pass other cars before the crash, the documents said.
During the crash reconstruction, investigators learned Martinez was driving 67 mph in a 40 mph zone. He was arrested on May 2 and booked on one count of manslaughter and three counts of endangerment. His bail was set at $50,000.
The victim has not been identified.
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