Judith Buehler, 85, and Patricia Doehring, 78, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, died following the accident that was reported just after 12:30 p.m. February 15, in the area of Alma School Road and Riggs Road
Maricopa County, AZ – Authorities have identified two people who died in a crash that happened in the Sun Lakes area last week on Sunday.
Judith Buehler, 85, and Patricia Doehring, 78, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, died following the accident that was reported just after 12:30 p.m. February 15, in the area of Alma School Road and Riggs Road
The MCSO reported that two vehicles were involved in the crash. The vehicles collided at the intersection under unclear circumstances.
Buehler and Doehring were riding in one of the vehicles and were transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Authorities confirmed that they both succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.
According to the report, a dog inside one of the vehicles was also killed in the accident.
The driver of the second vehicle was unhurt but two passengers in the vehicle were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
It’s unclear whether DUI or speed played any role in the collision. Deputies from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office are still working to find out the cause of the accident.
Maricopa County has the highest population in Arizona and is the fourth-most populated countrywide. The county highly contributes to the 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.
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