DPS says driver runs off SR 88 near Tortilla Flat

A woman was flown to a hospital on Friday afternoon after she accidentally drove off State Route 88 near Tortilla Flat and into a steep embankment, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.

The accident was the second time in as many weeks that a driver has gone off the cliff along the highway east of the Phoenix area. It’s a scenic but at times white-knuckle drive also known as the Apache Trail, and it leads to Canyon, Apache and Roosevelt lakes, all popular recreational destinations.

The woman became momentarily distracted while driving along the winding highway before running off the road, said DPS spokesman Quentin Mehr. Police do not believe impairment played a part in the accident, Mehr added.

“She took her eyes off the road, and when she looked back, she was unable to keep the car on the road,” Mehr said.

The driver’s condition was not immediately available. The accident happened along a stretch near Tortilla Flat.

Last month, another vehicle rolled off an embankment on SR 88, along another area near Roosevelt Lake. That driver also survived the crash.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is beginning a project along SR 88 this spring to repair guardrails, add additional signs and do maintenance on road pavement, said Steve Elliot, an ADOT spokesman.

Elliot said, though, that the project is unrelated to the recent crashes on the highway.

Elliot cited the precautionary signs already in place, the environmentally sensitive nature of the area and the fact that the road runs through U.S. Forest Service land as reasons why ADOT can’t easily put new guardrails into place along all areas of the highway, which includes tight switchbacks and portions that run along high embankments. A portion of the road also is unpaved.