WINSLOW, ARIZONA — Two tractor-trailer drivers were killed Friday afternoon after one semi crossed a wide grass median on Interstate 40 near Meteor City Road just west of Winslow and struck an oncoming big rig head-on, with at least one of the trucks catching fire on impact. Community members who know the area say the median is wide enough that the crossover raises serious questions about what happened behind the wheel.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety said the crash occurred on August 7. A westbound tractor-trailer crossed the median for an unknown reason and collided head-on with an eastbound tractor-trailer. Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities have not been released.
One person commenting on coverage of the crash identified one of the victims as the father of their nephews. Another said they were among the first ten vehicles to arrive on scene and waited more than three hours before traffic moved.
Drivers familiar with the corridor noted the median at that stretch of I-40 is particularly wide. A property owner just west of Winslow said the width of the median suggests significant distraction must have been involved. Others who drive the road regularly said speed and inattention are the most common factors in crashes along that stretch.
Eastbound I-40 was shut down following the crash, and at least one driver reported sitting on the freeway for two and a half to three hours trying to reach Winslow from Flagstaff, with no signage warning of the closure until they were already deep into the delay.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Information courtesy of local media and community accounts.
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