By Roger Lanse
On Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, at about 5:38 p.m., a black 2007 Jeep SUV driven by Casey Finch, 19, of Sierra Vista, AZ, left Highway 152 near the one mile marker at a high rate of speed, careened through vegetation and a barbed-wire fence, and crashed into a bedroom of one of the apartments of the Manhattan Apartment complex.
According to a Santa Clara Police Department accident report, Finch fell asleep and lost control of the vehicle while going too fast for the rainy conditions. Airbags were deployed, the report said, and neither the driver nor a 22-year-old female in the front passenger seat were injured. An 18-year-old female rear seat passenger suffered minor injuries and was treated by paramedics from Gila Regional Medical Center. No one in the apartment reported any injuries.
The report stated damage to the apartment was estimated to be $9,940, including antique items. The Jeep was towed having heavy front-end damage.
Drugs or alcohol were not a factor in the crash, the report said, although Finch was cited for careless driving.