Three dead, including mother and son, in 4-vehicle crash on State Route 87

Man arrested after three killed, including mother and son, in 4-vehicle crash on State Route 87

Three people, including a San Tan Valley mother and son, were killed in a crash on State Route 87 on April 16. The man said to have caused the crash is identified as James David Duncan.

PAYSON, Ariz. - A vehicle crossed the center line of State Route 87 north of Payson, starting a chain-reaction collision in which three people were killed Friday night, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.

A white Ford truck heading southbound had crossed the center line on April 16, colliding first with two oncoming vehicles near milepost 259. The wrong-way driver then hit another white truck driving south, sending it careening across the northbound lanes and down a hill in a nearby canyon.

Officials say a passenger in the wrong-way truck, identified as 54-year-old Georgia Marie Burnside from Payson, died in the crash.

A San Tan Valley mother and 15-year-old son were in the second white truck, officials said. The mother, identified as 38-year-old Latissia Morris, was taken to a Phoenix-area hospital in critical condition, but did not survive. Her son, Aden, was ejected from the truck during the crash and also died from his injuries.

The alleged wrong-way driver, a 49-year-old Scottsdale man, was seriously injured and was taken to a Phoenix-area hospital for treatment.