LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Investigators found several marijuana and alcohol containers in the vehicle of an accused wrong-way driver that killed an off-duty police officer, according to Nevada State Police.
Officer Colton Pulsipher, 29, was killed in the crash on Dec. 12 on I-15 near Mile Marker 78, near Valley of Fire State Park. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said Pulsipher was headed home from his shift when he was hit by the wrong way driver, later identified as 31-year-old Fernando Jimenez Jimenez.
State Police said Jimenez was driving southbound in the northbound lanes of I-15 in his Ford F-150 when he hit the Toyota Corolla, driven by Pulsipher, head on. Both Jimenez and Pulsipher were pronounced dead on scene.
Following the initial collision, State Police said a Freightliner tractor-trailer swerved to avoid the wreckage and a Honda CR-V hit the Ford after it had overturned in the travel lanes. The driver of the Honda was taken to University Medical Center with “substantial” injuries. The Freightliner driver stayed on scene and was unharmed.
Investigators said they found marijuana packages and alcohol containers in the Ford driven by Jimenez, but that official toxicology reports are still pending.
Pulsipher was laid to rest on Wednesday in a private ceremony in Moapa Valley. He is survived by his wife and three children.
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