1 dead in west valley car accident
A man died after he was hit by a truck in the west valley Sunday morning, according to Las Vegas police.
The crash occurred at approximately 9:44 a.m. in the 3900 block of West Sahara Avenue, between Las Verdes Street and Valley View Boulevard.
Police originally believed a man was thrown from a vehicle during the crash, because two cars were involved at the scene.
It was later determined that the 57-year-old man who died was working in the bus lane, behind his parked and unoccupied 2001 Chevrolet W4500, when he was struck. He appeared to be a subcontractor who was cutting asphalt with a wet saw.
The tool he was using flew from his hands, hitting another car, according to Metro supervisor Lt. Jack Owen. The man died at the scene.
Rafael Mendez-Soto, the 41-year-old driver of the 2004 Ford F-150, ran away from the scene, but police found him hiding in a dumpster in a nearby apartment complex and took him into custody a short time later. He had minor injuries.
Mendez-Soto failed field sobriety tests and was arrested for DUI resulting in death and for leaving the scene.
Westbound Sahara was closed to traffic west of Valley View until 2:30 p.m. while police investigated.
Reporter Kimber Laux contributed to this story.
Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @WesJuhl.
