Somerton fire crews respond to three crashes in one shift

Somerton fire crews answered three motor vehicle collisions in a single shift, a troubling reminder that some of the same corridors around town keep producing serious wrecks.

The latest run of calls adds to a pattern that has already put Somerton Avenue, County 14th Street, County 19th Street, Avenue A and Highway 95 under a safety spotlight. For commuters, farm workers and families crossing town at busy hours, the concern is no longer just isolated bad luck. The road network itself is showing repeat trouble.

One of the most serious recent calls came March 25 at 3:44 p.m., when the Somerton Cocopah Fire Department responded to Somerton Avenue and County 14th Street for a two-vehicle collision that included a rollover. Seven people were injured. Fire Chief Javier Hernandez said the department had to call for mutual aid because of the extent of the injuries and the number of patients. San Luis Fire Department, Yuma Fire Department and Rural Metro all assisted at the scene.

Another major crash followed on April 27, when the Somerton-Cocopah Fire Department responded to Avenue A near County 14th and 15th streets. The vehicle veered off the roadway, struck an electrical pole, rolled over twice and came to rest in an orchard. The driver, a 16-year-old girl from Yuma, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office.

Those incidents fit a longer record of collisions in the same part of Yuma County. On Feb. 25, 2022, a three-vehicle crash hit County 19th and Somerton Avenue. On Sept. 29, 2022, another three-vehicle collision was reported at Avenue D and Highway 95. And on Dec. 22, 2017, a three-vehicle wreck at County 14th Street and Somerton Avenue sent two people to the hospital.

Arizona Department of Transportation publishes annual Motor Vehicle Crash Facts reports, and the Federal Highway Administration says ADOT uses crash-data network screening to identify highway hot spots. That kind of data review should be directed toward Somerton’s repeat problem areas now, before the next shift of fire crews is forced back to the same intersections for another preventable crash.