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. |
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. |