Man dies in Kingman traffic accident

A man was killed in a single-vehicle traffic accident in Kingman, Ariz., early Thursday.

The Department of Public Safety said Ryan Perea, 33, of Kingman was exiting Interstate 40 on the eastbound offramp at Andy Devine Avenue when the SUV he was driving struck a sign pole and caught fire about 2:04 a.m.

The agency provided no further details but Kingman Fire Department spokesman Bill Johnston said investigators suspected extreme speed to be a factor because the sign pole spliced the vehicle nearly in two from front to back.

Johnston said the pole was embedded up to seven feet toward the rear of the vehicle with front portions of the rig nearly touching. He said a tow truck backed the rig off the pole and that Jaws of Life equipment was used to extricate the deceased.