Two people were killed and two others were hospitalized with serious injuries in a collision on the morning of Monday, October 26, on State Route 77 — also called Oracle Road — at milepost 85 near Wilds Road in Pima County, just north of Oro Valley and Tucson. The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) confirmed that both people who died were pronounced dead at the scene, and the two injured people were taken to a local hospital.
Source: Arizona DPS via KGUN 9, KOLD and KVOA reporting, compiled by HeyDay News
DPS was notified of the crash at about 6:15 a.m. Mountain Standard Time. Southbound Oracle Road stayed closed between East Wilds Road and East Golder Ranch Drive for much of the day while troopers and the Pima County medical examiner's office worked at the scene, with help from the Pima County Sheriff's Department. During the closure, drivers were directed toward North Bowman Road and North Lago del Oro Parkway. KGUN reported the southbound lanes reopened at about 2:30 p.m.
Source: KGUN 9 via HeyDay News
AAA Landscape said the people in one of the trucks were members of its Tucson crew heading to a job site. In the company's account — its own statement, not an announced DPS finding — a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction lost control, crossed the median and collided with the crew's vehicle. The company said one crew member was killed and two other employees were injured and hospitalized. 'There are no words that can adequately express the sorrow we feel,' the company said, declining to release further details out of respect for the employees and their families.
Source: AAA Landscape statement via KVOA and KGUN, compiled by HeyDay News
Key facts are still unresolved. KGUN described two vehicles — a four-door sedan and a commercial truck, with the sedan wedged beneath the truck — while KOLD, KVOA and the Arizona Daily Star described three: two landscaping trucks and a sedan. As of the Arizona Daily Star's report late Monday afternoon, DPS had not confirmed that the second person killed was a landscaping worker. Troopers have not announced a cause, the victims' names have not been released, and the investigation remains open.
Source: Arizona Daily Star via HeyDay News
Confirmed by DPS: two dead at the scene, two seriously injured, on SR-77 at milepost 85 near Wilds Road. Not yet established: the cause of the crash, the exact number of vehicles, and the identities of the people killed.