Contributed Photo/Courtesy Byron Bolen: The driver of this Chevrolet pickup truck was deceased at the scene.
Alcohol may have been a contributing factor; deceased man is a detective from Texas
By Jon Johnson
jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com
BYLAS – One man is deceased and two others were airlifted to a Tucson hospital after a violent head-on collision on U.S. Highway 70 on the Bylas Bridge early Sunday evening.
According to Arizona Department of Public Safety Public Information Officer J. Marotto, a white, Ford pickup truck was westbound when it crossed the centerline at about 6:15 p.m. and collided with an eastbound white, Chevrolet pickup truck. The driver of the Chevy, Richard B. Allbee, 51, of El Paso, Texas, was deceased at the scene. According to ABC-7 KVIA in El Paso, Allbee worked as a detective in the city’s narcotics department.
Two emergency helicopters landed on the Bylas Bridge and airlifted the driver of the Ford truck, John Savage, 50, and a passenger of the Chevy truck, Norma Allbee, 58, of El Paso, and flew them to Banner – University Medical Center Tucson for treatment. The medical status of Savage and Allbee has not been updated.
Impairment is believed to have possibly played a role in the crash and multiple pieces of evidence to support that narrative were collected at the scene. Savage’s blood was taken for testing purposes.
Eastbound traffic was rerouted to Calva Road, which travels around San Carlos Lake. The highway was closed from the time of the collision to roughly 10: 50 p.m.
