Well, this is why you carry insurance on a rental car. A British couple touring the States experienced a dangerous close call on their way to Prescott, Arizona. A chunk of the local rock formation fell on them, crushing the Mazda SUV’s hood, shattering the windshield, and obliterating the roof glass.

Driving from Phoenix to Prescott through Jerome feels like watching the land peel back time

The flat desert around Phoenix gives way to volcanic rock and dusty plains. As drivers head north on I-17, the ground starts to rise. Around Camp Verde, the red sandstone cliffs show up. 

These rocks, limestone and granite, once sat under oceans and deserts long gone. Near Jerome, jagged outcrops line the road like rusted teeth. This is old volcanic country: rough, raw, and beautiful…but it’s not without hazards. And passersby in a rental car found out exactly what they are.

Rockfalls happen in the Jerome-to-Prescott area, but not every day

The terrain is steep, and the rock is loose in places. Jerome sits on Cleopatra Hill, which is full of cracks, old mine tunnels, and unstable volcanic rock. That makes it prone to slides.

Highway 89A, especially the stretch between Jerome and Prescott, sees rockfalls after heavy rain or winter freezes. Water gets into cracks, freezes, and breaks the rock apart. Gravity does the rest.

ADOT watches the area closely. Road crews clear small rock debris often. They also shut down parts of the highway when bigger slides hit. In 2016, for instance, a major fall closed a section of 89A near Jerome.

The couple pulled their rental car over to check the map

A piece of fallen rock also went through the rental car’s roof. The driver got a scratch, but the passenger made it out without injury.