Background: The crash scene on U.S. 93 near milepost 175 in the area of Congress, Arizona (Carey Smith/AZ Family/YouTube). Inset: Amy Lynn Mickelson (Arizona Department of Public Safety).
A tragic accident unfolded on an Arizona highway when a woman reportedly veered into oncoming traffic, colliding with a minivan and causing the deaths of three occupants.
Amy Lynn Mickelson, aged 48, is now facing numerous charges connected to the incident. These include three counts of second-degree murder, seven counts of aggravated assault, two charges of felony endangerment, criminal damage, and aggravated DUI, as stated by the Arizona Department of Public Safety announcement. Although Mickelson’s arrest occurred last week, the fatal crash took place in the winter of 2024.
According to the agency’s press release, the crash happened on December 7, 2024, around 2 p.m., as Mickelson was driving her BMW sedan southbound on U.S. 93 near milepost 175 in Congress, Arizona. A Toyota Sienna minivan, occupied by several individuals, was traveling on the same thoroughfare.
Officials allege that Mickelson was under the influence, although specifics of the impairment remain undisclosed. She allegedly crossed the highway’s center line and collided directly with the minivan.
A witness, Christina Lane, told local outlet AZ Family that she rushed to help the people in the minivan while her boyfriend rescued the woman from the BMW moments before it was engulfed in flames. Aerial video obtained by the outlet shows the sedan burning, with a large amount of smoke billowing up into the air.
The collision left the BMW severely damaged, and photographs from the scene reveal that the minivan was completely destroyed.
The crash claimed the lives of three minivan passengers, who were pronounced dead at the site. While their identities haven’t been officially released by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, AZ Family reported that the driver was 51 years old, and the deceased passengers were 44 and 17 years old, respectively.
“The remaining four occupants, all minor children between the ages of 5 and 16, were transported for medical treatment with serious physical injuries,” the press release added. They were expected to survive.
About 2:15 p.m. that day, detectives with the department’s Vehicular Crimes Unit responded to the crash and investigated its cause. Though they determined that Mickelson caused it, they say she “fled Arizona and established residence in Utah.”
With the help of the U.S. Marshals Service, law enforcement found and arrested Mickelson outside a convenience store in Salt Lake City, Utah, on March 19, 2026. She was booked into the nearby Weber County Jail and held without bond before being extradited to Yavapai County, Arizona.
Congress, Arizona, is located about 80 miles northwest of Phoenix.
