Deadly I-11 crash near Boulder City blamed on speed, impairment

Two people are dead and three others, including a small child, were hospitalized early Tuesday after a crash on Interstate 11 south of Las Vegas.

The crash was reported at about 2:20 a.m. after a BMW crashed into the back of a sedan that was stopped on the side of the highway, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Travis Smaka said.

The female driver and a male passenger in the sedan died at the scene. A female passenger in that vehicle was taken to St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Sienna campus, where she is in stable condition, Smaka said.

Troopers suspect that the man driving the BMW was impaired and speeding at the time of the crash. A young child was in a car seat in the back seat. Smaka said both were taken to University Medical Center and are in stable condition.

I-11 was closed until about 9 a.m., with traffic being diverted onto U.S. Highways 93 and 95 at the junction.

This is the second fatal crash on the new stretch of highway, which opened less than a month ago. Smaka said that both were the result of human error.

The troopers who first arrived at the scene reported it as a rollover because of the extent of damage to the sedan, Smaka said.

Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0365. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.