Boulder Station mourns worker killed in DUI bike collision

By Mary Manning

Thursday, July 2, 2009 | 12:15 p.m.

A bicyclist killed Monday afternoon after being struck by a suspected impaired driver has been identified as 43-year-old Gary John Lommason.

Lommason is a retired 1st class Army sergeant and 15-year security team member at Boulder Station.

The driver of a 1990 GMC Suburban struck Lommason as he rode a red Schwinn Traverse mountain bike on a sidewalk on Desert Inn Road, just west of South Sandhill Road, Metro Police said.

After the crash Lommason was taken to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead by medical personnel, police said.

"Gary has been part of the Boulder Station family since we opened our doors in 1994," said Don Richardson, general manager at Boulder Station.

"He was an exemplary team member who loved his job, was committed to team work and brought a positive energy to our team and guests. We will truly miss Gary and our condolences go out to his loving family," Richardson said.

Donations are being accepted to help offset funeral expenses at US Bank under the "Gary Lommason Memorial Fund.

A public memorial for Gary's friends, family and work colleagues is being scheduled in the coming days at Boulder Station.

The family requests that people do not set up a memorial on the side of the road where the collision took place because Lommason was strict on bike safety and would not want to cause any problems or distractions on the roads, the family said.

The GMC was going west on Desert Inn when it ran up onto the north sidewalk, striking the rear of the bicycle, police said. The GMC continued traveling on the sidewalk for a short distance with Lommason trapped beneath the SUV, police said.

The SUV driver, 50-year-old Charley A. Matanza of Las Vegas, failed a field sobriety test, police said. Neither the driver, nor his passenger, 57-year-old Ramon Matanza of Las Vegas, were injured in the collision, police said.

Charley Matanza was taken to the Clark County Detention Center where he was booked on a charge of driving under the influence of drugs causing death, detention center records show.