Driver dead after beam falls on car on US 95 in northwest Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A driver was killed Friday morning after a steel beam fell onto a car on U.S. 95 in northwest Las Vegas, fire officials said.

Traffic in the southbound lanes of U.S. 95 was shut down at the 215 Northern Beltway in Centennial Hills, according to the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.

Nevada State Police - Highway Patrol said traffic was being diverted off the highway at Durango Drive.

A public information officer for Las Vegas Fire & Rescue confirmed that a steel beam had fallen onto a car, and that the driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

UPDATE: Las Vegas Metro police officer killed by fallen beam on US 95

The beam fell after it was hit by a tractor trailer carrying equipment, a public information officer for the Nevada State Police - Highway Patrol said.

The PIO said the beam that fell was what's known as an "early warning beam," which warns drivers of the height of the bridge.

There is ongoing overpass and freeway interchange construction in the area, known as the Centennial Bowl.

Later Friday morning, a Las Vegas Police Protective Association bus arrived at the scene of the fatal incident. "It's not something you see at a fatal crash unless it involves an OIS or a LVMPD officer in some capacity," per reporter Jeremy Chen.

The driver had not been publicly identified as of this report.