(Sept 19, 2018) Florence, AZ — Eight people were pronounced dead after a head-on crash near Florence. Arizona Department of Public Safety announced two vehicles were involved in the crash around 10 pm along SR-79, south of Florence.
A Chevy Suburban with 9 people inside was headed northbound when it was struck by a Buick headed southbound. Officials don’t know what caused the Buick to cross the center-line.
The Buick driver, front passenger, and 4 passengers in the Suburban were killed. 3 other passengers have life threatening injuries and were hospitalized.
More Info About the Eight People
The driver and front passenger of the Buick have been identified as 41-year-old Angel Meza from Eloy and 33-year-old Nicole Vidal from Eloy. The driver and front passenger of the Suburban both died from their injuries. The two have been identified as 45-year-old Rodney Palimo from Sells and 43-year-old Kathleen Palimo from Sells
The driver and front passenger of the Suburban were U.S. citizens, however the other 7 occupants in the car were Guatemalan nationals. The Department of Homeland Security is working to identify if this was a smuggling attempt due to court records showing Rodney and Kathleen Palimo had been previously convicted of immigrant smuggling.
Both directions of SR-79 were shut down for several hours after the crash and reopened around 4 a.m. Thursday, Sept 20th, 2018.
While this investigation is still ongoing, Lerner and Rowe want to send our deepest condolences to the family and friends that were affected by this terrible car crash.