| Logandale Auto Accident Ends In Tragedy | |||
| By Rachel Brandes Moapa Valley Progress Published June 3, 2009 A tragic auto accident occurred on Wednesday, May 27 when a vehicle left the roadway and ended up submerged in the flood channel near the Logandale bridge. Local resident, Michael Shakespear, age 23, was killed in the accident. At approximately 8:25 a.m. that morning, witnesses stated that they saw a “cloud of dust” appear on the bank of the flood channel located just north of the Logandale Park. An elementary school bus driver phoned in a 911 call. |
 The Clark County Fire Department’s Technical Rescue Team searches the victim’s vehicle in order to rule out any additional victims after an accident near the Logandale Bridge on Wednesday, May 27. |
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| Witnesses on the scene explained that they didn’t actually see the vehicle go off the road, just the cloud of dust. “I wasn’t sure what had happened,” stated one witness. “It could have been a four wheeler driving by for all I knew.”
But the vehicle was a Chevrolet Blazer driven by Shakespear. According to the Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) the vehicle was traveling northbound on State Road 169 (Moapa Valley Boulevard) when it suddenly veered off the roadway just before the Logandale Bridge, “lightly grazing” a telephone pole and entered the flood channel. The cause of the vehicle leaving the road was undetermined, said NHP officials. |
 Wednesday’s accident victim was taken aboard Mercy Air Flight for Life after his vehicle veered off SR-169 into the river near the Logandale Bridge on Wednesday, May 27. |
There was general speculation at the scene that the victim may have suffered a seizure while driving, causing him to lose control of the vehicle. This has not yet been officially determined by the NHP Fatal Detail Team which is investigating the accident. “NHP is aware of a history of a seizure disorder, however, that will be determined by the medical examiners investigation,” stated NHP Public Information Officer Kevin Honea.
Muddy Valley Irrigation Company workers, Kyle Millington and David Macias were working near the scene. When they heard there had been an accident they went immediately to |
| offer assistance. By that time, volunteers from Fire Stations 73 and 74 had arrived. They immediately began life-saving measures on the victim. It was estimated that the victim had been under the water for 15-20 minutes. By the time the Mercy Air helicopter arrived, the volunteers had been successful in re-establishing a pulse on the victim. The victim was then transported to UMC hospital in Las Vegas.
The Clark County Fire Department Technical Rescue Team arrived on scene shortly after the victim had been transported. This team specializes in confined space and swift water rescue. Their team searched the vehicle and the surrounding area to be sure there were no other victims. At the same time, the NHP Fatal Detail Team arrived and began an investigation. It was explained that although it was not yet considered a fatality, there was enough of a possibility that it may end that way. Thus a fatal investigation was necessary just in case. At 3:08 p.m. Shakespeare succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at UMC hospital. The NHP Fatal Detail investigation is ongoing at this time. Local volunteer EMTs expressed appreciation for the group effort at the scene which included NHP, Metro, Clark County Fire Department, fifteen volunteers from Stations 73 and 74 as well as community members that simply arrived on the scene to lend a hand. “I can’t say enough about Metro,” stated volunteer firefighter Don DeCaria. “Metro was absolutely fabulous, it took all of those guys just to get down there and push him out of that vehicle.” DeCaria and Perez had arrived at the scene together. DeCaria, who is a volunteer with Station 73, toned out the additional Station 74 which ended up being a good decision. “The extra hands were needed to get the victim up the riverbank,” stated DeCaria’s wife, Gayle who is also a station 73 volunteer. The volunteers spent several hours on the scene that day and wished to express their appreciation to Logandale Chevron for providing them with cold drinks, as much as necessary. |
