Two airlifted after crash near reservation

By Jon Johnson
Assistant Editor
Published on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 9:01 AM MST

Two American Indians from Bylas were airlifted to the University Medical Center in Tucson after the vehicle they were traveling in was struck from behind the morning of July 3.

According to Department of Public Safety officer Hector Benton, a 1985 Chevy pickup driven by Milton Rope, 51, was traveling eastbound about three miles east of Bylas when Rope slowed down to make a left turn in the Geronimo area and was struck by a 2002 Honda Sedan. Neither Rope nor his passenger, Thelma Rope, 29, was wearing a seat belt.

The driver of the sedan, Bruce Wayne Balls, 22, of Phoenix allegedly told officer Benton he was "messing" with his phone charger and did not notice the truck until it was too late to avoid a collision. Balls applied his brakes and swerved to the left, but the right fender of the sedan struck the truck’s left rear. Benton measured a skid mark of 113 feet before impact. The collision spun the truck around 180 degrees and flipped it over on the driver's side.

The Ropes were unable to exit the vehicle, and the Fort Thomas Fire Department extricated them by cutting the roof off the truck. Helicopters from LifeNet and AirEvac then took them to UMC, where they were treated for neck and back injuries and released.

Balls and his two passengers were wearing seat belts and were not injured. Balls was given a citation for failure to control his vehicle and was released from the scene.

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1 comment(s)

Get well Thelma wrote on Jul 8, 2009 11:33 AM:

" Hope all is going good and you recover from you injuries fast. For those of you who don't know her she is a great Officer with the SCPD. Great person with a great love for her job.
Get well soon. EX-SCPD137 "

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