I-17 closed in Phoenix after multiple accidents, authorities say

PHOENIX – Three people were taken to the hospital and two people were extricated from their vehicles in Phoenix after police investigated a suspected drunken driving case and several crashes occurred during the investigation, authorities said.

Arizona Department of Public Safety officials investigated a suspected driver who was driving under the influence of alcohol and stopped in the northbound lane of Interstate 17 at Northern Avenue in Phoenix at 1 a.m. on July 7.

While police officers were removing the vehicle from the road and investigating the case of driving under the influence of alcohol, two other uninvolved vehicles collided in a traffic jam. No injuries were reported in the second accident.

After the second crash, another uninvolved vehicle crashed into the vehicles in the second crash at a high rate of speed. The driver of one of the vehicles in the second crash died when he was struck by the third vehicle, authorities say.

The driver of the third vehicle, a juvenile, and a passenger in the first vehicle both suffered life-threatening injuries. The driver of the first vehicle is being assessed for possible impairment.

The northbound lanes of I-17 are closed and, according to authorities, there is no foreseeable reopening.

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