Summerlin Parkway collision kills one, injures two police officers

A cement truck collided with an unmarked Las Vegas police pickup on Summerlin Parkway on Wednesday afternoon, killing the cement truck driver and injuring two officers, authorities said.

The identity of the deceased driver, a 44-year-old man from Las Vegas, was not released.

Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Loy Hixson said the collision occurred at 1:20 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of Summerlin Parkway. He said an unmarked Dodge pickup carrying two officers who were on duty was struck by the cement truck when it veered into the eastbound lanes from the westbound lanes of Summerlin Parkway near Town Center Drive.

Hixson said the investigation is ongoing. Responders initially released differing reports on the accident.

"The investigation will determine why the driver lost control," Hixson said.

Las Vegas police spokesman Jose Hernandez said that after the collision, the cement truck continued moving and flipped on its side on an embankment.

Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said after the collision, the cement truck fell down a 20-foot embankment and caught fire.
A person put out the fire with a fire extinguisher.

Szymanski said if not for the person with the extinguisher, the cement truck would have been engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived.

Szymanski said the man driving the cement truck was lodged between his steering wheel and the seat of the truck.

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@review journal.com or 702-383-4638.