A family of four was killed Labor Day on State Route 260 in northeastern Arizona when the car they were traveling in collided head-on with a pickup truck carrying three teenagers, two of whom were injured, according to responding authorities.
The crash happened about 12:31 p.m. Sept. 7, about 4 miles west of Heber, according to Raul Garcia, spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Public Safety in a Sept. 8 email statement. Four people died and two people with serious injuries were taken by helicopter to hospitals, Garcia said.
Forest Lakes Fire District Chief David Rodriquez told The Arizona Republic that the four people who died were together in a passenger car and had been identified to first responders as a family.
Three teenagers were in
the pickup, Rodriquez said. The driver was not injured, while the two passengers were separately left in serious and critical condition.
Crews concentrated on the critically injured teenager who suffered trauma to his head, bones and body and was taken to a hospital, Rodriquez said.
"Our crews really concentrated on trying to attempting to stabilize him and get him into the helicopter," Rodriquez said.
The crash temporarily closed SR 260 in both directions, backing up Labor Day traffic for miles before the highway reopened around 8 p.m.
How firefighters used Jaws of Life to rescue survivors
Firefighters had to cut the two teens from the pickup after the collision, Rodriquez said.
Heber-Overgaard Fire District crews, who are responsible for the area where the crash happened, performed what Rodriquez described as extensive extrication, using the Jaws of Life tool to free them from the truck.
The Heber-Overgaard Fire District declined to comment on the incident and referred questions to DPS. Rodriguez said he had not received an update on the conditions of either injured passenger, as of Sept. 8.
Forest Lakes Fire District responded to provide aid after Heber-Overgaard requested help when the severity of the crash became apparent. Neighboring fire districts in the area regularly rely on one another because of limited emergency resources in Arizona mountain communities, Rodriquez said.
What caused the crash?
The crash remained under investigation as of Sept. 8. The DPS Vehicular Crimes Unit detectives were assigned to the investigation, Garcia said.
It was not known which vehicle crossed the center line. Impairment had also not been ruled out, Garcia said.
Drivers should also remain aware of oncoming motorists who may be distracted or impaired or fatigued behind the wheel, factors he said crews have encountered in previous crashes, Rodriguez said.
"Be alert, be attentive," Rodriquez said.
He did not connect any of those circumstances to the Sept. 7 crash.
The stretch of SR 260 involved in the recent crashes alternates between one and two lanes in each direction as it cuts across the Mogollon Rim and into the White Mountains. The highway is undivided, with no physical median separating opposing traffic. Yellow centerlines divide the roadway, with designated stretches allowing vehicles to pass.
Cross-median and head-on crashes can be especially violent because they can bring vehicles traveling at highway speeds into direct conflict, according to a Republic investigation that examined 25 years of deadly cross-median crashes.
"They're always tragic," Rodriquez said of head-on crashes.
Have there been recent crashes on the SR 260?
Nearly a year earlier, three people died in another head-on crash on SR 260 between Show Low and Heber-Overgaard. The September 2025 crash happened when a westbound vehicle crossed the center line and struck an eastbound ambulance, according to DPS.
The crash killed Timber Mesa Fire and Medical District firefighters Brenna Kulikowski, 31, and Damon Thompson, 21, along with the other driver, Angela Marie Bouck, 46, of Pinedale.
Earlier in June 2025, one person was killed and three others were injured in another head-on crash on SR 260 near Forest Lakes.
Arizona Republic reporter Laura Gersony contributed to this article.
Rey Covarrubias Jr. is a reporter for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Family of 4 killed in head-on Labor Day crash in northeastern Arizona
