A red Corvette pictured after the fatal crash (AZ Family/screengrab), Rachel Berg (left inset) in a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office mug shot, Michael Clark (inset right) (Facebook/Laura Clark)
A former police officer and current park ranger was tragically rear-ended and killed in an HOV lane by an 18-year-old Corvette driver clocked at 155 mph just moments before the deadly Arizona collision two weeks ago, authorities say.
Rachel Nicole Berg now faces a reckless manslaughter charge in connection with the fatal crash she allegedly caused near Dobson late at night on March 12, killing 46-year-old Michael Paul Clark as rode home from work on his Harley Davidson. AZ Family reported that the impact of the collision tossed the motorcyclist from his Harley and slammed him into a concrete wall along the highway.
Berg allegedly explained that she tried to slow down before the moment of impact, and authorities indicated in court documents that crash data supported that story, the report said. Speed data from the Corvette reportedly suggested that Berg hit the brakes just five seconds before the collision, dropping her speed from 155 mph to 87 mph to no avail.
According to his obituary, Clark was on his way home from work when he was rear-ended and killed. A former intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army, a former police officer in Washington State, and park ranger in Arizona with an RV repair business, the “devoted” husband and father is survived by his wife and two adult children, his two siblings, and his parents, Clark’s family said.
Clark’s wife Laura shared photos of her husband and a death notification that was issued by the Tacoma Police Department, where Clark worked for more than 14 years until 2021. Cops in Washington State detailed their understanding of the case so far: The park ranger left work around 11 p.m. and was traveling in the HOV lane on U.S. Route 60 when he was fatally rear-ended.
“The driver stopped and performed CPR, but Michael died at the scene from his injuries,” cops said, before adding: “Please keep Michael’s family and friends in your hearts and in your prayers.”
Laura Clark reacted to the crash in an AZFamily interview on Wednesday, saying that “young people sometimes think that they’re invincible” and “don’t think their decisions through,” sometimes with “devastating” results.
“He has kids that now don’t have a dad. The devastation is real and I don’t know how we will ever recover from it,” Michael Clark’s grieving wife said. “I don’t know how we ever put one foot in front of the other again.”
Laura said she knew something was wrong when she heard a police helicopter flying nearby. Michael didn’t answer her call and he didn’t read a text she sent, she said.
“He loved being a father to his kids and he was an amazing husband,” Laura said.
In Arizona, an individual can commit manslaughter in several ways, but in this instance Berg is accused of “recklessly causing the death of another person.” Here, the allegation is that Berg was recklessly driving at 155 mph — and 87 mph at the time Clark was hit — at night, causing the victim’s death.
If Berg were to be convicted as charged as a first offender, she would face between 7 and 21 years in prison. It’s unclear if she has an attorney at this time.
Maricopa County jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show that Berg was booked on the homicide charge Monday.
