TEMPE, AZ (AZFamily) —A series of collisions on a busy East Valley freeway has left one person dead and another critically hurt early Sunday morning.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety says the crashes happened around 3 a.m. on the westbound lanes of the Loop 202 Red Mountain, adjacent to the Scottsdale Road off-ramp.
Troopers say a white car rear-ended a gray Honda SUV, causing the SUV to block lanes of the freeway. According to DPS, a gray Audi then hit the SUV.
These vehicles were then hit by a gray Ford passenger vehicle, which also struck two people from the previous crashes that were standing outside their cars.
One person died as a result of the third crash, and another is in critical condition. The person who died was identified Monday as 55-year-old Rachel Marie Moss of Chandler.
The freeway was closed from Scottsdale Road to Loop 101 Pima Road as crews worked to clear the scene and investigate the crash. It reopened around 11:15 a.m.