May 20, 2026

State cites driver, everyone hospitalized after SR 347 crash sends car plunging into ditch

By Elias Weiss, Editorial Director
Aug 27, 2025

A rollover crash that left a car on its side in a Papago Road wash last night has now been ruled driver error, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Just after 7:15 p.m., a passenger car traveling southbound on State Route 347 lost control while slowing to turn right onto Papago Road, DPS spokesperson Raul Garcia told InMaricopa. The car plunged off the roadway and rolled over in a ditch where monsoon runoff had pooled beneath a bridge. The site has been the subject of recent scrutiny.

“The occupants were all transported to a hospital with minor to moderate injuries,” said Garcia. The airbags deployed in the overturned car. None were killed.

The crashed vehicle rests on its side in muddy water beneath a traffic bridge on Papago Road as crews and bystanders assess the scene. Occupants suffered minor to moderate injuries. [Elias Weiss] — The crashed vehicle rests on its side in muddy water beneath a traffic bridge on Papago Road as crews and bystanders assess the scene. Occupants suffered minor to moderate injuries. Aug. 26, 2025. [Elias Weiss]

The driver was cited for failure to control the vehicle to avoid a collision, said Garcia.

The first of three ambulances arrived about 15 minutes after the crash, joining one Pinal County sheriff’s unit and more than a dozen bystander vehicles. The sheriff’s office quickly turned the case over to state police last night.

InMaricopa has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with DPS seeking the case files from this crash and is awaiting a response.

Elias Weiss, Editorial Director

Elias Weiss earned his journalism degree from the University of Arkansas and began reporting for the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He later led the Chatham Star-Tribune to a 2019 Best Weekly Newspaper award before working as an investigative reporter for Phoenix New Times and The Daily Beast. In 2023, he became managing editor at InMaricopa, winning top state awards for investigative and narrative reporting. In 2024, he took over as Editorial Director. Elias often discusses politics on KFNX.