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Nevada Highway Patrol identifies wrong-way driver, person killed in crash

Investigators suspect driver was impaired
Posted at 8:26 AM, Sep 11, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-12 01:02:13-04

UPDATE 5 P.M.: The Nevada Highway Patrol says the driver of a Hummer traveling the wrong way on the US-95 Friday was 32-year-old Benjamin Ames from Las Vegas.

The woman who died as a result of the crash, according to NHP, is 58-year-old Susan Teves from Las Vegas.

Authorities say Ames was taken into custody and book on the following charges:

  • Probation Violation
  • Driving Under the Influence, Above the Legal Limit Resulting in Death
  • Reckless Driving Resulting in Death or Serious Bodily Harm
  • Duty to Stop at the Scene of Accident
  • Driving Wrong Way on a One Way Road
  • Fail to Give Information to Party at Vehicle Accident
  • Driver Fail to Report Unattended Vehicle
  • Proof of Insurance Required
  • Fail to Wear Safety Belt

Investigators believe speed and impairment were factors in the crash.

A law enforcement source informed 13 Action News that Ames was also charged with multiple counts of domestic battery that included a felony second-degree kidnapping earlier this year after a barricade situation.

Friday's crash was the 41st fatal crash in the Nevada Highway Patrol – Southern Commands jurisdiction in 2020.

ORIGINAL STORY
One person is dead and Nevada Highway Patrol says a wrong-way driver is to blame.

Investigators with NHP say a person driving a Hummer was heading southbound in the northbound direction of US-95 near Russell Road just before 2 a.m. when the driver slammed into a Nissan Sentra, killing the female driver of that vehicle.

Read more Las Vegas breaking news for Sept. 11, 2020

The driver of the Hummer suffered only minor injuries.

Impairment is suspected.

NHP closed the northbound lanes of the US-95 at Russell for much of the morning for the investigation.