Five killed in traffic accidents

Heather Rawlyk

Monday, May 3, 2004 | 11:16 a.m.

Five people, including three motorcyclists, died on Southern Nevada roads over the weekend.

A Las Vegas man was killed after he overcorrected and lost control of his car near Indian Springs early Saturday morning, according to Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Loy Hixson.

William Wilks, 58, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle when it rolled about 12:30 a.m. on U.S. 95, 30 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Hixson said.

Three hours later Christopher Coleman, 26, of Las Vegas was killed when he overcorrected on a curve in a roadway in Summerlin and hit a fire hydrant and two trees in his 1994 Chevrolet station wagon.

Coleman was traveling west on Canyon Run Drive, approaching Town Center Drive about 3:25 a.m. when he veered onto the sidewalk, police said.

Also early Saturday 53-year-old Clifford Edward Spradlin Jr. of Mohave Valley, Ariz., died when he drove his motorcycle into the back of a tractor-trailer on U.S. 95 near Boulder City, officials said.

Later that afternoon 47-year-old motorcyclist William R. Scott of Las Vegas was killed and three others were injured just south of the Red Rock Canyon Visitors Center when the driver of a rented Ford Mustang convertible veered into oncoming traffic and hit Scott's Yamaha head-on before colliding with a red Volkswagen Cabrio convertible, Hixson said.

Scott was flown to University Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries, Hixson said. The driver of the Ford Mustang and two occupants of the Volkswagen convertible were taken to UMC and treated for minor injuries, he said.

About 11:40 p.m. Saturday a 36-year-old man was killed when his motorcycle crashed at Lone Mountain Road and Teal Point Drive in North Las Vegas.

Todd Graves of North Las Vegas was westbound on his 1982 Honda when he veered toward the right side of the road, hit the curb, lost control and crashed, police said.

A few hours before that crash, a Las Vegas man was seriously injured when he was struck by a Ford Mustang while attempting to cross Sahara Avenue Saturday evening.

Ruben Andrade, 41, was crossing Sahara about 8:45 p.m., when he ran in front of the Mustang, driven by 28-year-old Jorge Rodriguez of Las Vegas, police said.

Andrade was taken to University Medical Center and was listed in serious condition Sunday afternoon.