(State Route 260, Arizona) A fatal collision occurred on September 7th when 21 year-old, Jesse David Lovato, fell asleep behind the killing Four People in head-on collision.
According to the Arizona Public Safety Department, at around 12:50 p.m., a family was driving on State Route 260, west of Heber-Overgaard when they were unexpectedly struck head-on by the 21-year-old pickup driver.
A 14-year-old and 21-year-old victims that were passengers in the pickup truck vehicle, were transported to a hospital with serious injuries.
The four deceased individuals are a 2-year-old Malakai, 4-years-old Dakota, 26-year-old Kiah Jae Begaye, and 26-year-old Giovanni Uballe Huerta.
Lovato admitted to law enforcement he was smoking marijana the night before, and is now facing four counts of manslaughter and two counts of aggravated assault.
A loved one of the family created a GoFundMe which as of September 13th, 2026, they have received over $96,000 with their end-goal of $85,000 for burial and funeral expenses.
Legal Analysis on the Head-on Collision
Before charges were made against Lovato, investigators may have reviewed (ARS) 36-2851(8)(a)(b) to determine if he violated the state’s policy on driving while under the influence. These codes specifically prohibit smoking/ingesting any product of marijana and drinking alcohol while driving.
(ARS)13-1103 may have been viewed by investigators before charging him with manslaughter. Based on this law, reckless driving causing death or injury is manslaughter and this correlates with Lovato’s action in killing four people in the Nissan vehicle and may be the following charges he is faced with.
Investigators may review (A.R.S) 13-702 which discusses that manslaughter is a class 2 Felony with imprisonment of 5 years and a fine of $150,000 for first time felony offenders. This is an important factor given lovato’s recent charge of four counts of manslaughter.
Advice for the Victim’s Family
If you have lost a loved one in this fatal collision, it is important to get support from friends, family or through counseling during this difficult time. To receive more information about the fatal collision, you can contact the Arizona Public Safety Department to request additional documents about the collision.
Have any concerns about navigating the legal process surrounding this incident? call 866-883-4318 to speak with a lawyer.
