California woman faces DUI charges after deadly crash in southwest Las Vegas valley

Naveda (KLAS) — One woman dead and another facing DUI charges after a crash Wednesday evening in southwest Las Vegas.

Deadly crash in Las Vegas valley

The crash was reported at 5:45 p.m. on South Hualapai Way, north of West Flamingo Road and involved two vehicles. According to Las Vegas Metropolitan police, a 51-year-old woman in a Toyota Prius exited a private drive on Hualapai and traveled north before making a U-turn to get onto southbound Hualapai where her vehicle was struck by a woman driving a Buick Encore, causing the Buick to overturn.

Naveda. Los Vegas Police reported that both women were transported to UMC’s Trauma Unit but the 51-year-old woman was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. The other driver, who was identified by police as 29-year-old Michelle Cardenas, of Huntington Park, California showed signs of impairment and was placed under arrest at UMC. 

Clark County Detention Center records show Cardenas is facing charges of DUI and reckless driving resulting in death. She is scheduled to make and initial appearance in court on Thursday, Nov. 7.The identity of the woman who died will be released by the Clark County Coroner’s office. Metro said she was the 134th traffic-related fatality in its jurisdiction for 2024.