Driver who crashed SUV into Camaro was killing himself, coroner says

The driver of an SUV that slammed head on into another vehicle in April near Snow Mountain purposely caused the crash to kill himself, the Clark County coroner’s office said Monday.

And the actions of David Beckstrand, 40, of Las Vegas, also took the life of another man.

Beckstrand died after driving recklessly and crashing his 2007 Chevrolet Suburban into a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro, the Nevada Highway Patrol said in April.

The collision, on U.S. Highway 95 between the cutoffs for Kyle Canyon and Lee Canyon roads, also killed the driver of the Camaro, Michael Phillip Johannsen, 29, of North Las Vegas.

Beckstrand’s death was ruled a suicide.

The coroner’s office had not determined the cause and manner of Johannsen’s death Monday. His family could not be reached for comment.

The collision sent Johannsen’s Camaro into a 2015 Subaru Impreza WRX that then struck a semi-truck. Beckstrand and Johannsen died at the crash site.

The 34-year-old man who was driving the Subaru was taken to University Medical Center by Mercy Air with injuries that were not life-threatening, NHP said. The driver of the semi-truck, a 51-year-old man, was not taken to a hospital.

Contact Kimberly De La Cruz at kdelacruz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @KimberlyinLV.