Cottonwood AZ (May 5, 2020) – On May 2, 2020, around 7 PM, deputies were dispatched to the 11400 block of Willow Point Road in Cornville regarding a single vehicle collision. This area is located east of Highway 89 and south of Page Springs on a dirt road. Fire personnel arrived first to find a red Nissan hatchback sedan on its side. The driver succumbed to his injuries and 4 other passengers in the vehicle, ages 14, 16, 18, and 38, all sustained various injuries which were serious but not life threatening.
During interviews, deputies were told the group was returning from a trip to the river when the driver, who had been drinking alcoholic beverages, intentionally began to swerve in the roadway for ‘fun.’ He eventually lost control causing the car to roll on its side. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt according to the adult passengers. There is also indication many of the passengers were not wearing seat belts at the time of the collision.
The driver is identified as 24-year-old Matthew Mattias from Cottonwood. The passengers are all from Cottonwood and all passengers are male except for the 16-year-old.