Tempe, Arizona: Two Drivers Dead in Wrong-Way Crash on Loop 202 at Scottsdale Road

Two drivers died early on Sunday in a wrong-way crash on Loop 202 in Tempe, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said. Both drivers were alone in their vehicles, and both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Troopers responded at 12:40 a.m. on Nov. 8 to a two vehicle collision on the eastbound lanes of Loop 202 at Scottsdale Road in Tempe, DPS said through FOX 10 Phoenix. Local reports based on the DPS account describe the crash as a head-on wrong-way collision, with one vehicle traveling against traffic in the eastbound lanes.

What investigators know so far

DPS has not released the names of either driver. The department said the names are being held while families are notified, according to local reports of the DPS statement. It is not known yet which vehicle was traveling the wrong way, how far it had driven against traffic, or where it entered the freeway.

It is also unknown whether impairment played a role. DPS said that question is still open, and local reports say laboratory toxicology and follow up checks form part of the active investigation. The crash remains under investigation, and troopers have given no timeline for their findings.

A main East Valley route, closed by a fatal crash

Loop 202 is the freeway loop that carries East Valley traffic through Tempe, Mesa, Scottsdale and Phoenix, and the Scottsdale Road interchange is one of its main north south crossings. A fatal crash investigation on the eastbound lanes in the middle of the night is the kind of closure that DPS handles at the scene before lanes fully reopen, and on Sunday morning the facts released to the public were still limited to the time, the place and the two deaths.

Wrong-way crashes on metro Phoenix freeways are investigated by DPS troopers, who work to establish the wrong-way vehicle's entry point and path from freeway cameras, witness calls and vehicle evidence. In this case, DPS has confirmed only the response time, the location and the outcome, and has said nothing yet about 911 calls before the impact or any attempt to stop the wrong-way vehicle.

Anyone who was on eastbound Loop 202 near Scottsdale Road around 12:40 a.m. on Sunday and saw a vehicle traveling against traffic will likely hold information the investigators need. This story will be updated in place if DPS releases the drivers' names or new findings on how the crash happened.