Fatal Collision At Sossaman and Guadalupe
November 15, 2008
The
Mesa Police responded to a serious collision this morning at
6:30 am in the intersection of Sossaman and Guadalupe Roads.
This was a two vehicle collision between a red Dodge Ram truck
and Nissan Sentra passenger car. The truck, solely occupied by
the driver, identified as Manuel Contreras-Galdean, attempted to
complete a left turn from eastbound E. Guadalupe to northbound
S. Sossaman when it turned into the path of the Nissan Sentra,
occupied by a 17-year-old brother (driver) and 16-year-old
sister (front passenger). They were traveling west bound in the
#1 (fast) lane through the intersection. The collision was a
near head-on collision causing the airbags in both vehicles to
deploy. There was no passenger-side airbag in the Nissan Sentra.
The teenage brother and sister were driving to Highland High
School to participate with the marching band in the Gilbert Days
Parade when this collision happened.
The 17-year-old driver of the Nissan Sentra suffered non-life
threatening injuries. Tragically, the 16-year-old female
passenger suffered massive head trauma and injuries to each leg
and was transported to Maricopa Medical Center where she was
later pronounced dead by doctors in the operating room during
life saving efforts.
Manuel Contreras-Galdean (photo) was arrested and charged
with one count of Manslaughter and one count of Aggravated
Assault. He was booked into MPD Jail on those charges.