A 20-year-old woman from Cottonwood died Saturday, Oct. 10, after sustaining injuries in a two-vehicle collision on State Route 89A Oct. 7. Alissa Le Schauffler had been on life support at Flagstaff Medical Center following the crash.
The collision took place just after 3:40 p.m. near milepost 356, by the intersection with Kelli Lane, according to Arizona Department of Public Safety Spokesman Quentin Mehr.
The accident was a T-bone collision, Verde Valley Fire District Chief Nazih Hazime said.
The two vehicles were a Ford F-250 pickup truck and a Honda SUV, Mehr said.
Le Schauffler pulled the SUV onto State Route 89A from a side street, according to the investigation report. Hannah Smith, 21, also from Cottonwood, was a passenger. The Honda pulled into the path of the pickup truck, driven by Diana Martinez, 20, from Cottonwood. Martinez also had a 16-year-old male passenger. The pickup truck smashed into the driver’s side of the Honda.
Le Schauffler was extricated and flown to Flagstaff by helicopter.
Smith suffered minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to Verde Valley Medical Center, according to Mehr.
The occupants of the Ford were not injured. All four people were wearing seatbelts.
The crash led to the closing of State Route 89A for three hours, from just after 4 p.m. to just after 7:05 p.m., according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. A northbound lane was opened around 4:30 p.m. Southbound traffic continued to be diverted to Mingus Avenue Extension and Cornville Road.
The Cottonwood Police Department and the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office were on the scene to assist. DPS handled the investigation.
Dozens of people gathered at the scene of the accident Sunday night, Oct. 11, for a vigil in memory of Le Schauffler, according to a Facebook post from Le Schauffler’s fiance.
A fundraising campaign has been set up online for
Le Schauffler’s family to help with expenses at gofundme.com/ry6jscf4.
