Parents warn against '100% preventable' reckless driving after Tempe crash took son's life
The cell phone text dropped at 1:11 p.m. on March 29, 2023.
Phyllis Mercer glanced at the words, "I love you more" — a parting phrase her son would send her in response to her ending the conversation by expressing her love for him.
Less than 90 minutes later, 25-year-old Phillip Mercer would die as a passenger in a Tempe car crash that his mother called "100% preventable." Police said the driver was intoxicated and speeding at 121 mph in the incident where another driver was severely injured.
"People can prevent driving under the influence. They can prevent reckless driving, driving at an excessive speed," Phyllis Mercer told The Arizona Republic.
Phillip Mercer had a strong work ethic and thrived in a sales job that matched his competitive spirit, his parents shared. He wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. His time was often spent with family and friends.
The Southern California resident was visiting friends in Arizona, he found himself in the front passenger seat of a 2004 Corvette. The driver, Demonti Gary Deleon, was a man unfamiliar to Mercer's parents, they said.
Tempe Police Det. Jonathan Seal told The Republic the harrowing moments on the road that early spring afternoon.
Deleon sped eastbound down West Southern Avenue past Priest Drive, pushing his Corvette 76 miles over the speed limit. He lost control, and the convertible coupe slid sideways, its passenger door crashing into a westbound school van that had just completed its last student drop-off.
The force of the impact sent the van backward, lifting it into the air before it came down on a Volkswagen Jetta traveling in the same direction.
Phillip Mercer would die at the scene.
The blood alcohol concentration for Deleon was twice the legal limit, according to Seal.
"The speed in this case is the fastest speed that I've seen in any cases that I've personally worked," said the 40-year-old Seal — who has been on the force for 18 years.
He said that even though Mercer was wearing a seat belt, Deleon's speed was "just so egregious" that a safety belt "can only help so much."
In January, Deleon pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. He also admitted to aggravated assault, receiving five years of supervised probation for injuries sustained by the school van driver, wounds that, according to Seal, will likely affect him for life.
Additionally, Deleon pleaded guilty to endangering the driver of the Jetta, earning a one-year prison term to be served concurrently with his manslaughter sentence. Seal noted that the Jetta driver suffered a fatal heart attack just days after the crash.
Between 2019 and 2023, the most recent year with available data, Tempe recorded 80 traffic fatalities and 294 crashes resulting in serious injuries.
To address roadway safety, Tempe implemented Vision Zero in 2018, an ongoing initiative aimed at eliminating fatal and serious injury crashes. The program analyzes crash data and road design to identify high-risk areas, guiding increased police enforcement efforts, Seal explained.
Phillip Mercer's parents, 57-year-old Phyllis Mercer and her husband, Dwight, 58, want others to heed lessons from the devastating loss they suffered.
"Not a whole lot of things in life that can be prevented, but fatality due to being impaired or excessive speeding, or driving reckless … can all be prevented," Phyllis Mercer said. "By changing your driving habits, you could save lives, even your own."
Through unshakable grief, Phillip's parents lean on how he showed his appreciation for them.
"You raised me right" and "I wouldn't want any other parents. You guys are the best," Phillip told his father over the phone just two days before he lost his life.
Dwight Mercer said, "That's something that I'll always remember."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Corvette crash in Tempe took son's life. Now his parents share warning
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