Real People Are Dying on Sabino Canyon Road
“Two fatal pedestrian incidents occurred on or near Sabino Canyon Road in Tucson in early 2026:
On May 7, 2026, a University of Arizona associate professor, Mikhail Stepanov, was struck and killed by a truck while in a crosswalk at the intersection of Sabino Canyon Road and Snyder Road.
On the night of January 31, 2026, 73-year-old Rosendo Ojeda was killed and a woman was critically injured while crossing North Sabino Canyon Road near East Sabino Hollow Court. The first driver stopped and cooperated, but authorities searched for a second, potential hit-and-run vehicle (described as a blue 2002–2006 Toyota Avalon) that may have also struck the victim. “(redacted from a Google AI)
Here is the KOLD-13 News Story about Stepanov:
(Sometimes, the best memorial to someone comes from their own words. Here is a redaction of his story from his personal website:)
Misha Stepanov
I’m an associate professor at the Department of Mathematics, University of Arizona. I worked in the Institute of Automation and Electrometry, Photonics Laboratory. I graduated from Novosibirsk State University (NSU), physics department. Earlier I studied at the math-phys class of school #130, Novosibirsk, Akademgorodok.
My wife is a violinist. We have two daughters. My father is a retired system programmer, mother worked as a leading engineer, both at the Institute of Informatics Systems. Both studied at NSU. My brother is teaching statistics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
And here is a list of his publications… as we said, the man’s own words: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1ndb9QcAAAAJ&hl=en. Wow!
We also respect the other folks who suffered in our neighborhood on January 31st:
Ross Ojeda worked for A&M Records in the music industry and ran a Farmers Insurance agency out of Gilbert, Arizona.
His friend, Carol, who he once described as the light of his life, was critically injured in that crash as well. She is still recovering.
Ross was a person whose words went with music. So his interview on the Otto D Show is an excellent summary of who is. He recounts hearing “I’ll Be Watching You” by the Police on the day it was written, and partaking of his first joint with none other than Bob Marley.
These were real people, both with rich and deep lives. We should respect their passing.
The straight-away section of Sabino Canyon Road appears to be more dangerous than the twisty section.
It is sad to lose anyone. Please consider this as you drive.