By Richard Smith
Mail |
X: @rsmithYWV

Jett Weinstein, a 17-year-old Mountain Ridge High School student, is listed in stable condition at a Valley hospital Tuesday afternoon after undergoing surgery on his abdomen and legs, according to his family - via a friend of the family who is screening media inquiries.

Weinstein was the passenger in a one-car accident at 1:15 p.m. Sunday on Interstate 17 at milepost 259 near Cordes Junction.

The car drifted off the road then spun counterclockwise and was impaled by the guardrail. The driver, a 16-year-old that remains officially unidentified but is described as a former Mountain Ridge student, died from injuries sustained in the crash.

Families involved will lead a prayer huddle at 7 a.m. Wednesday at Mountain Ridge, 22800 N. 67th Ave., Glendale. The public is welcome to attend.

Friends of the Weinstein family have started a GoFundMe page in the wake of the accident and Jett's leg and abdominal injuries and surgeries.  As of Tuesday afternoon, 441 people have donated a bit above $24,000.

Mountain Ridge principal David Vines released a statement Monday, detailed in this story.

Richard Smith
Senior News Editor | Glendale & West Valley Preps

rsmith@iniusa.org

Richard Smith has been with Independent Newsmedia since 2016, and worked at a Sun City-based news outfit covering the Northwest Valley for 22 consecutive years.

An NAU alum and lifelong Arizona resident, Richard began as a copy editor and page designer at Surprise Today and the Daily News-Sun, then rekindled his love of sports writing by taking the reins on West Valley Preps in 2008.

For most of the mid-2010s he was the Surprise editor and West Valley Preps reporter. Now he’s the West Valley Preps Editor and Surprise Associate Editor.

As COVID restrictions slowly lift, Richard is cautiously optimistic he will visit book stores, football fields and gyms again this fall.