Accident at I-15 and Blue Diamond investigated

Nevada Highway Patrol said a third vehicle might have been involved in an accident on Interstate 15 that left a driver critically injured Friday morning.

Trooper Jeremie Elliott said a Mercedes-Benz might have been in a prior collision before it was rear-ended by a Frito-Lay truck on southbound I-15 near Blue Diamond Road.

According to Elliott, the driver of the Mercedes-Benz was the first to report he had been in an accident just before 4 a.m. The driver was stopped in the travel lanes of I-15 during the phone call when the call was disconnected.

Elliott said the driver might have then been hit a second time by the Frito-Lay truck causing the call to be dropped.

The driver of the Mercedes-Benz was transported to University Medical Center in critical condition. The Frito-Lay driver was transported to UMC with non-life threatening injuries.

The accident caused heavy traffic delays as travel lanes were blocked for more than five hours. The lanes have since been reopened.

Contact reporter Caitlyn Belcher at cbelcher@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0264.