At approximately 1:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 11, a 34-year-old Cornville man was arrested for failure to remain at an accident scene, DUI, endangerment and criminal damage following a single-vehicle crash.
He was booked at the Yavapai County Detention Center in Camp Verde and remains in custody.
Yavapai County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 1000 block of North Page Springs Road, Cornville, regarding a traffic crash involving a 2007 BMW Z3 convertible sedan.
The BMW’s driver eventually stopped in the parking lot of the nearby Verde Valley Fire District and then reportedly fled.
His passenger, a male whose age and hometown are not yet reported, remained in the vehicle and had been impaled through his chest by a 1-inch pipe. VVFD personnel treated the injured man before he was flown to Flagstaff Medical Center. His condition was initially listed as non-life-threatening, but there have been no further updates at this time.
Deputies were able to identify the driver and located at a home in the 11000 block of Oak Run Lane in Cornville.
When initially contacted, deputies could reportedly smell the strong odor of an intoxicating beverage. Additionally, the man’s speech was reportedly slurred and his eyes were bloodshot and watery alledgedly indicators he had been driving under the influence.
The driver reportedly told deputies he allegedly left a nearby restaurant with a male passenger, whom he could not identify, heading to a location in Cornville.
He allegedly said he took a corner too fast on Page Springs Road, went off the pavement and crashed. Once he realized his passenger had been impaled by a fence rail, he allegedly drove to the fire station so the man could be treated.
The driver suffered only a small scratch as a result of the crash, according to YCSO. The driver reportedly failed DUI tests including an evaluation from a deputy with Drug Recognition Expert certification and was arrested. Blood test results are pending.
It appears the passenger was impaled by the top rail of a chain link fence at the crash site. It was estimated that at least 100 feet of fencing had been damaged.
