1 dead after fiery crash in Parker; semi-truck driver accused of impairment

PARKER, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — Parker police say a semi-truck driver was impaired when he crashed into multiple cars, killing one person at a busy intersection Sunday afternoon.

Authorities say the driver, Karan Singh, was headed north on California Avenue when he crashed into three cars stopped for a red light near Riverside Drive. The crash sent vehicles flying into the parking lot of a nearby Terrible Herbst gas station. At that point, the truck and one of those vehicles went up in flames. Detectives say another vehicle crashed into a boulder before landing on its roof. A video posted on social media appeared to show the truck going at a high rate of speed.

One person was confirmed dead at the scene, and the wreck left several others seriously injured. Investigators say Singh was located after leaving the crash site and taken to the hospital. Detectives are still working to learn more about what led up to the crash, but believe Singh was impaired during the crash. He has since been booked into the La Paz County Jail on second-degree murder and eight counts of aggravated assault.

Debbie Fritzen says one of her family members died in the crash, and the other is on life support. They are not sure if she is going to survive. “I had a pit in my stomach, and I couldn’t even imagine my cousin was in one of those cars, in the last car he hit,” Fritzen said. She says her two cousins and their spouses were visiting family in Lake Havasu this week. They went to church Sunday morning and were driving through Parker to head back to California. “My cousin Amy died instantly, and my cousin Peggy is on life support, and they don’t think she’s going to make it,” she said.

Fritzen says their spouses, who were also in the car, are recovering, but her family is devastated. She was frustrated to learn Singh left the scene after the accident, and once police tracked him down, they said he was impaired.

Arizona’s Family also spoke with a woman who works nearby where the accident happened. “I’ve never seen anything so devastating,” Halei Jackson said. “It was a mess. There were car parts all over the street. Being around the wreck yesterday, I was sick and sad, and it was really depressing.” Jackson says she and her coworkers heard a loud boom and ran outside to see flames and a massive plume of smoke. “I just hope he gets what he deserves for what he did,” Jackson said.

Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call Sgt. Raymond Gomez of the Parker Police Department at 928-210-6765.

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