Arizona’s political leaders are offering prayers to the family of John McLean, the Democratic Senate nominee in Arizona’s Legislative District 17 (LD17). Mr. McLean died in a vehicle collision on Friday morning.
According to the Tucson Police Department, on Friday, November 15, 2024, at 6:00 a.m., officers and members of the Tucson Fire Department responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting a vehicle collision on Broadway Blvd. east of N. Houghton Rd., near N. Ridgeside Dr. Upon arrival, the driver of one of the involved vehicles, the 68-year-old McLean was pronounced deceased.
The other driver, identified as 27-year-old Michael Martin Creel, was not seriously injured.
Detectives believe that Mr. McLean was driving a 2019 Toyota Rav4 eastbound on Broadway Blvd. and Mr. Creel was driving a 2018 Ford Explorer north on Ridgeside Dr. Mr. Creel failed to stop for the posted stop sign at the intersection at Broadway Blvd. and struck the passenger side of Mr. McLean’s vehicle as it passed the intersection.
An officer from the Impaired Driver Enforcement Unit responded to the scene and assessed Mr. Creel for impairment. It was determined that Mr. Creel was impaired at the time of the collision and was subsequently placed under arrest and charged with Manslaughter and Aggravated DUI.
The investigation remains ongoing, and detectives have currently listed speed and impairment as the known contributing factors of the crash.
Mr. McLean’s opponent in the Senate race, Senator-Elect Vince Leach, stated in a press release, “My thoughts and prayers are with the McLean family for their tragic loss today. John was a good man who conducted himself honorably as a candidate. My deepest condolences go out to John’s family and friends in this most difficult time. As a third-generation Arizonan, the lives John positively touched during his life are incalculable, and we should all be so fortunate to do the same.”
