CHANDLER — One person died and another was hurt Monday morning in a chain-reaction crash that closed the westbound Loop 202 Santan Freeway in Chandler during the morning commute.
Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers were called around 6:50 a.m. to the westbound lanes just west of Cooper Road, the agency said in a statement reported by FOX 10 Phoenix and KTAR.
What DPS says happened
According to DPS, a white pickup truck rear-ended a white SUV, then struck the back of a second vehicle before rolling onto its roof. Three vehicles were involved.
Two people were taken to a hospital. One of them was pronounced dead there, and the other is expected to survive with injuries described as non-life-threatening, DPS said. The agency has not identified anyone involved or said which vehicle the person who died was in. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Hours-long closure
The Arizona Department of Transportation closed westbound Loop 202 at Cooper Road for the investigation and cleanup, sending commuters onto surface streets. Eastbound lanes were not affected. Arizona’s Family reported the westbound lanes reopened shortly before noon.
The timing added to the disruption. According to ADOT’s weekend closure schedule, as reported by Hoodline, westbound Loop 202 between Arizona Avenue and Loop 101 had been fully closed for construction from Friday night until 5 a.m. Monday, meaning the crash happened less than two hours after that stretch reopened for the work week.
ABC15 described the location as the Gilbert area, while DPS placed the crash west of Cooper Road and other outlets reported it in Chandler. No other details about the vehicles or the people inside them had been released by midday.
Seeing a crash or need updates?
Drivers can check current freeway conditions at az511.gov or on the AZ511 app. Anyone who witnessed the crash can contact DPS. Thee Arizona Times will update this story if DPS releases the names of those involved or more details on what led up to the collision.
Photo: Rsparks3 via Wikimedia Commons (CC0 public domain). File photo of a southwestern section of Loop 202; not the crash scene.