Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak was issued a citation for his involvement in a two-car collision Sunday that sent him and another driver to the hospital for precautionary reasons, according to a Metro Police crash report.
Both Sisolak and the other driver were issued citations, according to the report. The Democratic governor was driving on South Rainbow Boulevard attempting to turn onto Russell Road on a blinking-yellow light, but failed to yield to northbound traffic. The other driver, whose name was not released, was driving north on Rainbow and was speeding at the time of the crash.
Sisolak was driving his personal 2016 Lexus RX 350 SUV without his security detail, according to police. The other car was a red 2019 Nissan Sentra sedan.
Both cars were towed from the scene, according to the report.
Police responded to the crash at about 12:40 p.m. A witness in the vehicle behind Sisolak said the governor attempted a left turn and entered the intersection when he collided with the Nissan, according to the report.
The female driver of the Nissan stated that while driving in the left-most lane, the light at the intersection changed from green to yellow just before the collision, according to the report. She also said Sisolak turned in front of her while she was driving the speed limit — 45 mph.
The crash report states, however, the Nissan was traveling at 62 mph and decelerated to 43 mph just before impact, according to the vehicle’s onboard computer.
Sisolak said that as he was attempting to turn left onto Russell on a flashing yellow, the driver behind him honked the the vehicle's horn. That’s when he “pulled forward into the intersection to see if it was clear” and was struck by the oncoming Nissan, according to the report.
The report states Sisolak’s vehicle collided with the Nissan, causing it to “completely” rotate counter-clockwise over 180 degrees. The Lexus rolled northeast in reverse, eventually running off the road and onto the landscape of an El Pollo Loco at the intersection, according to the report.
The Nissan, after colliding with Sisolak’s vehicle, veered right and continued northeast leaving the road. The Nissan eventually collided with a traffic signal on the northeast corner of the intersection, knocking it over. That caused a shorting of the light’s wires and resulted in the intersection's signals to display flashing red.
An estimate of the damage done to the El Pollo Loco property was not in the report.
Both drivers were taken to University Medical Center for treatment, but injuries were suspected to be minor, according to the report. Neither driver showed signs of impairment.
Metro and Nevada Highway Patrol assisted at the scene and the two agencies are working together on the investigation, according to the report.