A 16-year-old Las Vegas boy killed overnight in a pickup truck-SUV crash a few blocks east of UNLV's campus has been identified as David Isac Escobar, the Clark County coroner's office said.
The accident occurred at today at 12:11 a.m., at the intersection of Eastern Avenue and Reno Avenue, Metro Police said.
Officers said that the evidence at the scene and witness statements indicate that a 2000 Ford Ranger pickup truck driven by Waylon Wilcox, 30, of Las Vegas, was traveling south on Eastern in the right lane and had a green light when approaching the intersection.
The teen's vehicle, a 1994 Toyota 4 Runner SUV, was traveling west on Reno Avenue and crossed Eastern after the teen failed to stop at a red light, police said.
Officers said Wilson told them he braked his pickup truck, but was unable to avoid hitting the SUV. The front of the pickup truck struck the passenger side of the SUV, rolling the SUV and ejecting the unrestrained teen driver from the vehicle, police said.
"Had this kid been wearing a seatbelt, he would have walked away from it," said Metro Detective Dennis Magill, who investigated the accident.
Escobar was pronounced dead at the scene by an emergency medical crew, police said.
A passenger who was with Escobar fled the accident scene on foot, but police later found him, Magill said. The teen was not injured, he said.
The teen's death is the 82nd traffic death in Metro Police's jurisdiction this year. The collision remains under investigation, as police are waiting for toxicology test results, Magill said.
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