A two-vehicle accident that shut down Charleston Road near Tombstone for five hours last month was caused when a passenger car drifted into the path of an oncoming pickup truck on a curve, according to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office.
Savana Rae Talvy of Elgin was issued a civil traffic citation for her role in the Feb. 27 incident in which her eastbound Ford Fusion crossed the center line and grazed the driver-side rear corner of a westbound F250 pickup that was pulling a travel-trailer. Talvy’s car then struck the trailer, which went off the road and overturned with the truck still attached.
CCSO Deputy Joseph Spezzano’s accident report released this week to Arizona Daily Independent notes Talvy’s car and the truck were likely traveling about 55 mph, the posted speed limit in the area. There were skid marks visible for the truck and trailer, but none for Talvy’s car, the deputy noted.
Both the truck and trailer came to rest on their roofs in a wash. The two seat-belted occupants of the truck -a husband and wife from Illinois- reported no injuries except a few scrapes.
Meanwhile, the force of the impact left Talvy, 26, trapped inside her vehicle in the middle of the roadway. The vehicle had “severe front and top damage,” Spezzano noted. Another driver in the area stopped to render first aid by holding Talvy’s head which had visible lacerations.
After members of the Tombstone Fire Department extricated Talvy from her car she was airlifted to Banner UMC by an Arizona LifeLine crew for treatment of what turned out to be non-life-threatening injuries. There was no indication that Talvy was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Spezzano noted in his report.
Tombstone’s Marshal Bob Randall arrived on-scene after all occupants were out of their vehicles. He says that looking at the two vehicles he was amazed no one was critically injured.
“This is further proof that seat belts do save lives,” said Randall.
Spezzano met with Talvy a week after the accident while she was recovering from her injuries. According to the deputy’s report, Talvy said she had no memory of the impact.
Talvy was issued a civil traffic citation under Arizona Revised Statute 28-726 which prohibits driving left of the center line when approaching a curve. She recently registered for a certified defensive driving school as permitted by state law.