Three crashes, four fatalities — and one thing in common

Four people died in three crashes on Southern Nevada roadways Friday night and Saturday morning.

The common denominator in the crashes, all occurring within a six-hour span late Friday into early Saturday, was that those killed were not wearing seat belts, officials said.

The Nevada Highway Patrol reminded drivers and passengers to always wear seat belts, which trooper Jason Buratczuk said can greatly improve a person’s chances of surviving a crash or avoiding serious injury.

“It takes three seconds, but (not) putting it on could cost you your life,” he said.

Seat belts provide occupants of a vehicle with a line of defense against being launched from it, he said.

Two of the three crashes involved rollovers, and all three occupants in the rollover vehicles were unrestrained and ejected, he said.

In the first of the three crashes, a man and a woman died in a rollover crash north of Primm on Friday night. A 2018 Infiniti Q50 was being driven recklessly on northbound Interstate 15 at mile marker 9, north of Primm, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

The driver lost control about 11:15 p.m. and veered off the road into the desert, overturning the car.

Neither occupant was wearing a seat belt, and both were ejected, Buratczuk said. They were in their 20s and died at the scene.

Witnesses reported seeing the car speeding and changing lanes before the crash, he said.

The crash is still under investigation, and police have not determined who was driving or whether either were impaired, Buratczuk said.

About 45 minutes later, in Las Vegas, a 50-year-old man at the wheel of a 2001 silver Ford Ranger hit a pole. He died at University Medical Center, according to a Metropolitan Police Department release.

The pickup veered off the road into school zone signal pole just after midnight on East Washington Avenue east of North Linn Lane, the release said.

The driver wasn’t wearing a seat belt and was thought to be impaired, police said.

And about 4:45 a.m. on Summerlin Parkway near U.S. Highway 95, another vehicle rolled over. The Dodge Ram pickup overturned and ejected its driver, who wasn’t wearing a seat belt. He died at University Medical Center. It wasn’t known whether he was impaired.

The Clark County coroner’s office will release the identities of the deceased when their families have been notified. Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter. Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.

Nevada Highway Patrol A man and woman died late Friday after the car they were in was involved in a rollover crash on Interstate 15 near Primm.