A violent head-on collision caused by an apparently drunk driver going the wrong way on a state highway near Sierra Vista last Friday resulted in the death of a nine-year-old boy, while three other children and an adult were injured.
Lance Aguirre was killed in the accident which occurred around 6:30 p.m. on State Route 90. His 11-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister were transported to a Tucson trauma hospital where they underwent surgeries for multiple injuries, according to family friend Stephanie Serna who set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral and medical expenses.
The three children were riding in a red full-size pickup driven by Clifford James Johnson, who is the stepfather of Lance and father of the other two children. Johnson, 38, was driving southbound in the northbound lanes of State Route 90 when it crashed into a white full-size pickup driven by Michell East, whose one-year-old son was also in the vehicle.
The impact of the crash pushed the white truck’s engine compartment into the front seat area. East, who runs her own cosmetology business, remains hospitalized although her son was released on Saturday.
“Case came home today but is bruised and stiff,” according to a GoFundMe page for the East family. “Michell is in pretty rough shape, with multiple broken bones requiring surgery on her elbow and foot; she will need months of Physical Therapy.”
The crash occurred near milepost 297 north of the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint and close to Kartchner Caverns State Park. The northbound lanes for nearly 10 hours, forcing hundreds of vehicles to take lengthy detours to reach Benson or Interstate 10.
Multiple med-evac choppers were called out to the scene along with ambulances. The devastation at the scene left one longtime emergency responder still reeling two days later.
“These kinds of crash scenes are always bad, but my God when it involves children it just tears at your heart,” the EMT told American Daily Independent on Sunday. “You can only hope and pray those other kids won’t have a memory of the tragedy. Drunk driving is hurting too many people in our community.”
Johnson was reportedly at a Tucson restaurant Friday afternoon with family members and was returning home to the Sierra Vista area at the time of the accident. He remains in the Cochise County jail where he was booked Saturday morning on second-degree murder with extreme indifference, aggravated assault, endangerment, child abuse, DUI, and other felonies.
The GoFundMe established for the East family is at https://gofund.me/65e3a6bc while the one created by Serna for Johnson’s surviving children can be found at https://gofund.me/62bf3e60
