A 7-year-old girl was ejected from a car in Monday’s crash on State Route 347 that closed the southbound lanes of the highway for more than five hours.
The girl was a passenger in a white Nissan that was reportedly driving recklessly before it rolled over and went through a fence adjacent to the roadway just south of the Gila River overpass, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. No other vehicles were involved in crash around 5:30 p.m.
The girl and the adult female driver were taken to a Valley hospital for treatment of serious injuries, DPS said. The driver was not identified and the investigation continues.
Investigators have not ruled out impairment as a factor in the incident, according to DPS.
The accident turned rush hour into a nightmare for Maricopans trying to get home after a day of work in the Valley.
SR 347 was closed about 6 p.m. so a medical helicopter could land at the scene and DPS could investigate the incident. All southbound traffic was directed east on Riggs Road to I-10, where a traffic jam played out for several hours.
The southbound lanes of SR 347 were finally opened around 11:30 p.m.
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