According to a preliminary investigation, a Chevy Captiva allegedly failed to stop for a stop sign at the intersection and collided with a Jeep Wrangler
Yuma, AZ – A crash between two vehicles left both drivers dead on Tuesday morning in Yuma, according to the Yuma County Sheriff’s Department.
The incident took place on S. Avenue 1E and E. County 15th Street at around 11:27 a.m. January 6.
According to a preliminary investigation, a Chevy Captiva allegedly failed to stop for a stop sign at the intersection and collided with a Jeep Wrangler.
The YCSO and firefighters responded to the scene and performed life-saving measures on both drivers. However, the two drivers were both pronounced deceased at the scene
The driver of the Chevy was identified as Ginger Adell Bradford, 87, of Yuma, while the Jeep driver was identified as Ronald Edward Yowell, 85, also of Yuma.
Both vehicles sustained major front-end damage. It was not yet determined whether alcohol or drugs played a role in the accident.
The crash is under investigation.
Yuma County is one of the counties with higher population in Arizona. The county highly contributes to the amount of traffic accidents that result in injuries and fatalities yearly in Arizona. The state has seen a slight decline in traffic incidents over the past two years, but crash-related fatalities remain high. In 2023, the state recorded 122,247 motor-vehicle crashes resulting in 1,307 deaths, according to reports by AZDOT. In 2024, total crashes dropped to 121,107 and fatalities fell to 1,228 – a 6.1% decrease from the previous year. Despite this modest improvement, serious injuries and fatalities remain near historically high levels, underscoring persistent road-safety challenges. Speeding, impaired driving, and failure to yield continue to be leading contributors to fatal and serious collisions involving pedestrians statewide. While emergency response initiatives and public-awareness campaigns aim to curb these risks, Arizona’s highways and urban roadways still experience a substantial number of severe crashes each year.
If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a car accident, you can learn more about your options by visiting our car accident lawyer page.