Authorities identify victims in deadly Payson ATV crash
PAYSON, Ariz. (KSAZ/AP) - Authorities have identified the four men who died in an ATV crash near Payson last weekend.
According to the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, 38-year-old Enrique Lopez of Phoenix, 37-year-old Reymond Martinez of Phoenix, 35-year-old Manuel Ladislao Bracamonte of Glendale, and 17-year-old Abraham Javier Rodriguez Delgado of Chandler were killed when the ATV went plunged 400 feet off a cliff near Blue Ridge.
Sheriff's spokesman Jon Paxton says investigators are continuing to look into how the all-terrain vehicle veered off a forest road and went over the cliff. Paxton says the four men were on a camping trip near Payson at the time of the crash.
Rodriguez Delgado was a student at Chandler High School and his family has set up a GoFundMe account to help with funeral costs.
"I lost my baby. I lost my angel. I lost my life. I don't want this to happen to anybody else," said Abraham's father, Frank Rodriguez.
Family members also identified Rey Martinez as the driver, a Valley real estate agent.
The crash also sparked a 10-acre fire, which made it difficult for rescuers to get to the victims.
Officials say there haven't been many crashes on Forest Service Road 300, where the accident happened. However, they do plan to look into exactly how many accident have occurred in previous years in that area first, before making any recommendations of changes to that roadway.