Four-Vehicle Crash Kills Woman; Driver Faces Murder Charge

A four-vehicle chain-reaction crash on Ajo Way near Three Points, Arizona, on Nov. 8 killed 40-year-old passenger Ashley Jones. Authorities said a westbound pickup rear-ended a truck towing a trailer, forcing the truck and trailer into eastbound lanes, where they were struck by a Chevrolet Avalanche; a fourth vehicle then hit the trailer. None of the Avalanche’s four occupants was wearing a seat belt, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The pickup driver, 68-year-old Ronald Clay Widener, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and DUI after investigators determined impairment was a factor. The highway was closed for about eight hours, and Widener was held on $500,000 bond.