PHOENIX — Car debris litters the sidewalk near 35th Avenue and Thomas Road in Phoenix where a series of car crashes disrupted traffic over the weekend.
Phoenix police reported three separate car crashes involving a total of 13 cars within 24 hours of each other.
Several people were seriously injured, including a young girl. All are expected to survive.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: 3 choques en 24 horas en una ocupada intersección de Phoenix
First crash
Police said they responded to a two-car crash around 2 p.m. on Saturday. One person needed to be extricated from their car. A man and a child were taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Second crash
While police were clearing the road from the first crash, an unrelated crash involving five cars happened around 3 p.m. Police told 12News a person involved a drunk driver. Several people were taken to the hospital, including one person with life-threatening injuries.
Third Crash
Police said they responded to a crash involving six cars around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday. Two people were taken to the hospital, including one with life-threatening injuries.
“That is a very busy intersection," Phoenix Police Sgt. Phil Krynsky said. "So, people that live in the area, I think they’re aware that they definitely need to be careful, be a little bit more patient and make sure they’re following the speed limit.”
Dangerous intersection
35th Avenue and Thomas Road is considered one of the most dangerous intersections, according to Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG).
MAG reported 105 crashes at the Phoenix intersection between 2018 and 2022.
“I’m not surprised at all. I mean Phoenix has dangerous by design streets," Stacey Champion, a road safety advocate, said.
Calling for change
Champion said she's calling on city leaders to make road adjustments that she believes could lower crash statistics.
“They could look at narrowing some lanes, they could look at creating pedestrian buffers, trees slow people down naturally," Champion said.
She worries without change, back-to-back accidents will become more common.
“There’s a cost associated. There’s a family suffering for every single accident, even if you don’t die," Champion said. “Until we get serious about starting to prioritize public health and safety versus speed and convenience, it’s not going to change.”
Police are still investigating each of the crashes.
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