The deadly crash began when a semi-truck jackknifed on westbound I-40, roughly four miles southwest of Williams at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 13.
Williams, AZ– The Arizona DPS has released the identities of two people who were killed in a major, fiery pile-up caused by a snowstorm near Williams last week.
The DPS on Sunday identified the two victims as Evelyn Davis, of Ganado, and Juan Beltran Sanchez, of Chino Valley.
The deadly crash began when a semi-truck jackknifed on westbound I-40, roughly four miles southwest of Williams at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 13.
DPS said the jackknifed semi-truck completely blocked the freeway, which was covered in ice and snow.
Troopers said some drivers were slowing down to avoid crashing into the semi, but some were not able to slow down while merging to the left lane. A second semi-truck driver jackknifed and struck multiple vehicles.
Other vehicles were rear-ended and pushed into or underneath semi-trucks, as per the DPS.
DPS said one of the semis caught fire and the fire spread to all the involved vehicles and the blaze burned for about 20 hours.
Authorities said 22 vehicles with a total of 36 drivers and passengers were involved in the fiery collision.
Two people later identified as Juan Sanchez and Evelyn Davis, were killed and 16 people were hospitalized.
The accident remains under investigation.