11/12/2024 around 5:30p.
14-year old was retuning home from a MTB ride was struck and killed on Viewpoint drive near Manley, Prescott Valley.
A specific location wasn’t mentioned; from some of the new video, it’s in an area similar to this where the road is 1 lane in each direction with a very small paved shoulder, and then some gravel. [update on the specific location: as the comment below points out, the road was rebuilt more recently than the street view; the current sat view is, however, does show the current configuration]
According to news reports the driver was involved in a domestic violence situation at his nearby home immediately preceding the crash.
No specific mechanism for the crash was given; it’s highly likely the cyclist was riding his MTB on the gravel shoulder, so I would guess drifting; that is the driver of the pickup left the lane and drove on the shoulder; which would make the driver liable, at a minimum, for a 28-672 charge. When the driver was arrested, police stated the crash was a head-on collision between the driver of a pickup truck and the victim (in other words, it was not a same direction/overtaking crash as I had incorrectly surmised after the crash). Directions were not specified. Once the police investigation is completed, prosecutors will first have to determine if the driver’s actions were negligent, or reckless; which would indicate more serious felony charges.
Driver Arrested
PV police announced they arrested the driver, Daniel Lee Jones, on Jan 15,2025 due to tox reports indicating some sort of drugs DUI. It will now be up to Yavapai County attorney’s office to bring charges.
On November 12, 2024, at 5:23pm… The crash was a head on collision between a juvenile riding his bicycle and a pick-up truck.
The crash appeared to have happened when the truck collided with the bicyclist while he was riding on N Viewpoint Dr. …
On January 15, 2025, the Prescott Valley Police Department (PVPD) made an arrest in the death of the juvenile.
PVPD received the toxicology report results, which indicated that the driver, Daniel Lee Jones, a Prescott Valley resident, was impaired at the time of the accident. An arrest warrant was obtained, and Jones was taken into custody without incident. Jones was booked into the Yavapai County Jail in Prescott for manslaughter and driving under the influence of drugs charges.
12 News story about the arrest.
I updated tags accordingly — changed from “drifting” to “headon”, and added “DUI”
…
May 2025 Update: driver was arrested in May 2025 while out on bail. “Daniel Jones, who was released on a $100,000 cash bond while awaiting trial for the fatal crash that killed 14-year-old Gabriel Grande, was arrested again on April 16. According to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, deputies found methamphetamine in Jones’ vehicle during a traffic stop that evening.”
…
according to a comment below, there are updates, but I can’t find any news article.
These stories (this one and the Assult on kids riding e-b ikes) are all apalling. Not only for the indiference and outright negligence on the part of the accused, but for the expected (lack of) outcomes from the various prosecutor’s offices involved. I’m not sure what changes this, but letting these types of offenses go with leniency only emboldens similar aggessive behavior. Here’s to hoping some level of sucessful prosecution comes out of this.
Driver arrested
https://www.12news.com/article/news/crime/prescott-valley-teenager-hit-killed-driver-allegedly-under-influence-drugs-arrested/75-86f29a33-cacf-4504-8802-ffa26f63fc0c
First off this road was built in 2017/2018 and is a major artery in a urban area. The city failed to build a multi-use path at time of construction even though there was sufficient land to do so. The adjacent land is all flat and grass. The shoulder is very narrow which means the bike riders are forced to ride close to the path of vehicle traffic. The teenager chose to ride in the opposing narrow shoulder against traffic as it opposes the wide open grassy area adjacent to the roadway. Most bike riders and pedestrians choose to do this as the grassy area is very wide. The city is also at fault for not providing sufficient safety to bikers and pedestrians by not funding a multi-use path at time of road construction. Viewpoint Drive absolutely is in dire need for a multi-use path the entire road to the soccer field 3 miles from accident site.
Jon — thanks for the update on the road, I see I was misled by Google Street view being very old, predating the rebuild, which IS visible in Google satellite view.
The non-existence of a path notwithstanding —
Riding against traffic is always ill-advised. Besides being illegal, in the event of a crash, a head-on is always more severe than a rear end because the speeds add rather than subtract.
What the new articles fail to mention is that the bike rider was riding against traffic. That the car in proceeded the vehicle of impact clipped the bicyclist and threw the kid into the truck.
The DUI charges were dropped due to no metabolite tests done.
That teenager is my child. He rode opposing traffic due to the inability to ride on the opposite side. The driver was on drugs and drove straight into my child, killing him almost instantly. Those charges were not dropped. Know what you’re talking about before you spread lies. Even though he was out on bail because he felt that driving while high and killing a child wasn’t reason enough to sit in jail, he was arrested again in April for demonstrating the same behaviors. Fortunately no one died in this situation.
And yes, pedestrians and cyclists are the last thing anyone cares about up here. Multi use paths and other safety features are only ever an afterthought or response to tragedy.
This is so heart-breaking, I cannot imagine the pain you feel. Sadly, bicycle safety is an afterthought in this state. Faulty infrastructure is often the problem. Skinny strips of pavement marked with white and green paint aren’t enough. Mandatory design criteria for two-way separated bicycle paths are needed, and now. Words like “may” and “should” need to be replaced with “shall” and “must” when it comes to design specifications for bicycle infrastructure. I wish you the best of luck with your advocacy for bike lanes and safety. That, and an end to the all-too-common reluctance to prosecute these cases to their fullest extent. At least this perpetrator is rightfully accused.