Charges filed in SR 347 crash that killed Maricopa woman

The Arizona Department of Public Safety has identified the driver of the vehicle in Sunday’s single-car accident that killed a Maricopa woman.

According to DPS spokesman Bart Graves, the vehicle, a Nissan Sentra, was driven by 24-year-old Christian Galindo of Maricopa.

“At approximately 8:33 p.m. there was a one-vehicle fatal collision on State Route 347 at milepost 380.4 in Sacaton,” Graves said. “A Nissan Sentra was seen traveling at a high rate of speed before it rolled an unknown number of times. There were signs of impairment located on scene. One female passenger was ejected and later pronounced deceased at a Chandler hospital.

“Galindo was placed under arrest for multiple criminal charges including, homicide, aggravated assault, multiple counts of DUI, extreme DUI, aggravated DUI and driving on a suspended license.”

Galindo was booked into the Pinal County Jail following treatment at a Chandler hospital.

DPS has identified the deceased passenger as Vanity Chavez of Maricopa. Another passenger, an 18-year-old girl from Maricopa was admitted to a Chandler hospital Intensive Care Unit and remains hospitalized.

Sunday’s incident was the second fatal accident on SR 347 in recent weeks. Buford Delaughter, 56, of Maricopa was killed in a Jan. 27 accident that closed northbound traffic on the highway for hours at Casa Blanca Road.

According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, Delaughter’s vehicle drove into oncoming traffic, hit another vehicle and ignited into flames, fatally injuring him. Delaughter was southbound on SR 347 at the time of the accident and crossed the median into northbound traffic, where he collided with a vehicle with four occupants. None of the occupants of that vehicle sustained life threatening injuries.