LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Since the beginning of the year, there have been five people killed on Henderson’s roadways, two of those deaths happened Monday. In both cases, Henderson police said speeding was a factor.
A fiery crash Monday morning left a 44-year-old man dead. His SUV was rear-ended at the intersection of Saint Rose Parkway and Eastern Avenue. Later in the day, 13-year-old Rex Patchett was walking on a sidewalk when he was hit and killed by a car.
“In both of these crashes, the primary cause of the crash was speed, driver inattention, and reckless driving on our roadways,” said Henderson Police Chief Thedrick Andres. “I am extremely disheartened when I have to stand before you today regarding a 13-year-old who is walking along our sidewalks in our community and loses his life because of reckless driving behavior.”
Eleven known areas in Henderson have been identified as trouble spots for speeding. One of those is the intersection Saint Rose and Eastern where Tuimanino Alailefaleula was killed Monday morning.
Already this year, Henderson police said they have made 8,556 traffic stops and issued 1,758 speeding citations.
“To say we are going to step up and enforce more isn’t going to solve the problem. The big problem here is the way people drive,” said Sergeant Roger Matuszak, Henderson Police Department.
Chief Andres issued an appeal to all drivers and pedestrians.
“Please slow down, obey our traffic regulations, more importantly, have respect for those that share the roadway with you.”
Of the five fatalities that have happened this year, police said, two were related to speeding, one was DUI related, and two others involved pedestrians who were at fault.
