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twitterMotorcyclist dies in Summerlin crash
Published Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 | 1:35 p.m.
Updated Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 | 3:43 p.m.
Crash
A 35-year-old North Las Vegas man was killed this morning when he was thrown from his 2006 Suzuki motorcycle in a three-vehicle crash in Summerlin.
The collision occurred on Lake Mead Boulevard about 750 feet West of Del Webb Boulevard. In addition to the motorcycle, a 1994 GMC Rally Vandura and a 2002 Honda CR-V were involved in the crash.
The van was traveling east on Lake Mead Boulevard in the left turn lane and was about to enter a shopping center at 9480 Lake Mead Blvd. As the van began to turn left, it was struck by the motorcycle, which was travelling west on Lake Mead in the left lane.
Witnesses told police the motorcycle was racing an unknown SUV when the collision occurred. The victim's name wasn't being released Sunday.
The motorcyclist was thrown from his vehicle and fell partially under the Honda CR-V, which was southbound in the exit lanes of the shopping center. The Honda CR-V rolled forward, then backward over the motorcyclist. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The occupants in the other vehicles suffered minor injuries.
Discussion: 74 comments so far…
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"Witnesses told police the motorcycle was racing an unknown SUV when the collision occurred"
Well, that didn't work out too good.
SUV vs motorcycle, I'll put my money on the sUV everytime.
That would be the last area I'd feel safe flying through on a motorcycle...Lake Mead and Del Webb?! Sheesh, the average age of drivers in that area is around 100, no?
This is becoming a recurring news story, about once a week I'm seeing some new motorcycle death here in town.
"As the van began to turn left, it was struck by the motorcycle, which was travelling west on Lake Mead in the left lane."
So in other words, it was the fault of the van driver for making a left turn directly into oncoming traffic. Yeah, sure, blame the motorcycle anyway.....
I'm not bike curious.
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Unknown SUV? How about "unidentified?"
Seriuosly: You've got a lot of hard bark on you, boy, I like it!
So what about the SUV traveling at a high rate of speed? Did he escape and therefore not "get what he deserved"? Are you distraught that he escaped and therefore there's not "one less a-hole" SUV driver "on the Vegas roads"?
Saying that ""As the van began to turn left, it was struck by the motorcycle, which was travelling west on Lake Mead in the left lane" is like saying "As Smith's fist swung through the air, it was struck by Jones' face". The simple fact is that the driver of the van killed the motorcyclist by turning into his path when he should have been alert and watching traffic, and should have waited for him to go by. You don't make a left turn when there is oncoming traffic coming, no matter what speed they're traveling. Period.
The slant on this story would have been completely different if it had been a police motorcycle that had been hit by someone making a left hand turn right in front of them. I guarantee you it would not have been the motorcycle that struck the vehicle making a turn right in front of it. Seriously, no one "deserves" to die for something like this. We all make mistakes! RIP
Wow, "Seriously," that's rather harsh, don't you think? I sincerely hope that whatever happened in your life to harden your heart has ended and that the rest of your life will be much better. As for the 35-year-old who lost his life...........RIP.
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it sucks that he died, however it does not surprise me. i see people on crotch-rockets driving like psychos all over town. whatever, just stay the hell away from me.
And I see people stupidly and recklessly making left turns across traffic every day.... and sometimes, as in this case, they kill somebody by doing so.
it's hard to avoid an accident when turning left if a motorcycle doing 120 mph suddenly appears out of nowhere.
I've seen people on crotch rockets going down Craig at a high rate of speed and doing wheelies. I almost had a collision with one of them, but luckily he got control of his bike. If I were to almost lose control of my bike doing something as dangerous as a wheelie at a high rate of speed with many cars around me, I would think twice about doing it again. But I don't think these riders really are thinking about the consequences. RIP dude.
the comment about the average age of drivers around there being 100 is what hits right on. the market parking lots in that area are like a bumper car arena.
It wasn't that long ago that a police officer was also killed while driving to fast in a police car down Flamingo (over 100 mph). Yah, they took the guy who made the left turn in front of the officer with his truck to jail. But it wasn't that long before the police department was apologizing to the guy in the truck. They ruled that it was impossible for the guy to properly judge the speed of the police car, and was cleared of all charges. They acknowledged their officer made a mistake by driving to fast. This motorcycle rider also made a mistake by driving to fast for the conditions. The same ruling that applied to the accident involving a police officer (yes, the department at first wanted to throw the book at the guy in the truck) would definitely apply to this accident as well. This clearly illustrates why we have speed limits. Mistakes happen, prayers for the family.
If he was riding like that on a regular basis then he either had a death wish or was an idiot. I feel sorry for his wife and kids. The guy driving the SUV needs to be held accountable.
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How exactly did we determine that he was driving 120 mph? I see no mention of that anywhere in the story. I seriously doubt that he just "appeared out of nowhere." The driver who killed him probably just wasn't paying attention.
For all you people relying on stereotypes, here's a real one for you: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety analyzed motorcycle fatalities and found that more than 70% of them were caused by negligent automobile drivers viloating the motorcycle's right of way. In other words, turning into them or otherwise improperly running into their path. Exactly what happened in this case.
It would be interesting to know if the van driver who killed the motorcyclist was talking on a cell phone or otherwise distracted.
A life is gone or does anybody give a damn?!?!?
GrandmaCrabby, you criticize for making assumptions, but then make one of your own regarding the driver that was struck by the man who was killed in this unfortunate accident.
I personally know one of the people at the scene of the accident, and the police report shows that the motorcyclist was doing in excess of 120mph. At that speed, it is almost impossible to determine how quickly there will be an impact when making a left turn (see TechBrian's comment), and they could literally "appear out of nowhere." The driver of the van was not cited at the scene and was not distracted by a cell phone. In fact, the person is crushed over the entire outcome and suffered injury themselves.
My heart goes out to the family of this man that was killed. While you are making assumptions without all the facts, at least one family has been devastated by these events, and they deserve some respect in their mourning.
GrandmaCrabby you need to get control of your of yourself.. making assumptions without facts will get you nowhere.
My niece was the driver of the van and my brother was the passenger.. I was at the scene of the accident within minutes.
It would be hard to say exactly how fast the motorcycle was going, but, it was enough to spin a 3500+lb van 540 degrees before leaving it on top of a sidewalk after it almost flipped. The bike was reduced to bits. It's obvious that he was going well over the 35 mph posted speed limit. There would have been no way for ANY driver to predict that an oncoming verhicle would be going 3 times the posted speed limit.
All this being said.. please people go easy on both sides.. their are two families having a hard time right now and I'm sure they are checking these posts.
I'm just thankful to still have my brother and my niece.
cell phones were not involved.
Dunebuster, I'm sorry for the loss. My father came up on the scene just after the accident and assisted, I believe, jbreeze's niece in an attempt to resuscitate Eric. My father said the man was in very bad shape, checked for a pulse twice, and when the medics arrived they just covered him and took him away.
The van was eastbound and made a northbound turn trying to get into the shopping center. Eric was going too fast to avoid.
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Hard to blame the van driver. If I'm not mistaken that would be the shopping center with the Taco Bell and Jack in the Box fast food outlets in it, and if you're heading west on Lake Mead, the road veers to the left slightly after Del Webb creating a sort of blind spot. Van driver had no chance to see him coming.
Thanks for the information about no cell phones. I'm glad the driver is remorseful. But the principle is, give the right of way. If you can't be certain that you can make it (if you can't judge speed), you wait. It's that simple. Hopefully people are learning that lesson.
I have a few questions that may be answered by MomInGv and JBreeze702.
1) Can someone please tell me what part the Honda CRV played in the accident? Reading the article doesn't make much sense to me.
2) It was said that Gerric could only be identified by his fingerprints. Is that true?
Gerric has been my son for the past 26 years. I'm his stepfather. His Mom flew to Las Vegas yesterday after getting the news. I'm stuck at home trying to help.
A motorcycle is a weapon to be respected and operated with the most extreme caution. The better riders will be the first to admit it. You always ride smart , and ride defensively. This kid probably would have had a short life regardless of what method by which he chose to end it. Of course we can only conclude this by his reckless past record provided here by Dunebuster.
yes, grandmacrabby, let's all give the right of way to reckless speeding drivers we can't see. it really is that simple, thank you for explaining that "principle" to us.
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GrandmaCrabby you can't judge the speed of something you can't see. The road curves and the rider was in the far inside lane. My brother told me they didn't see him until he was right in front of them. The skids were about 30 feet max. 30 feet at well over 100mph happens in under a second. There was NOTHING my niece could have done differently. My brother said that if he had been driving the outcome would have been the same. I think that ANYONE in that position probably would have had a similar outcome. The speed limit in that area is 35mph for the simple reason that visibility is not good on that part of Lake Mead.
Hupp349 the rider was thrown under the CR-V and was rolled over as is says in the article. The driver of that vehicle never even saw him. As far as the fingerprints issue.. He lost his helmet on the first impact. I'm very sorry for your family's loss.
Again people.. please go easy.. the families are reading this stuff.
Wow. I am really stunned by some of the things people say. I for a fact know Eric and his family. Nobody deserves to die the way he did. How harsh can some of you be? He had a baby on the way and two others at home. Now his baby will never know her father. And his family will never see their loved one again. Eric was a good man! This is a horrible tragedy. How can you run over somebody and then back over them again? That is sick. And then leave the scene. I pray for Eric's family that in time the pain will ease. But for the ones left behind, we will carry the pain of his loss. Cars know that there are motorcycles out there, we watch out for you all the time, we learn to ride to where you can see us. Then this happens. It doesn't matter if he was racing or how many accidents he had. What matters is that you are all on here to complain about it and you are alive and well and Eric is gone! Have some compassion people I mean come on. Is everybody so heartless?! Think if it was your son, brother, husband, nephew, grandson, or friend. How would you feel? Think before you speak. Yes family and friends do read this stuff. God Bless you Eric. You will never be forgotten. Your loved and missed, may you now ride in peace.
That road is to curvy for high speed. You can't see the oncoming traffic at some points. What was he thinking?
Bottom line,there needs to be more compassion. A life was lost and the potential for that individual to make a difference in this world. Yes, I believe the motorcyclist was traveling very fast. It takes an incredible amount of velocity to offset the mass to move a van as this bike did. The motorcylist most likely died instantly ... this should be a bit comforting as we know he did not suffer. It is very difficult to gage the distance of an object traveling at a high rate of speed. And yes, Lake Mead does curve gently to the south, as such, I believe it was difficult for the Van to gage the time required to clear the path of the oncoming motorcylist. Yet, the driver of the van should had given right-of-way to the motorcyclist regardless. Nobody is innocent in this case. Prayer should go out to all involved. My two cents worth.
Eric not only had a baby on the way and 2 at home, but he also had 3 more kids in CA. Though he made some terrible mistakes in the past (including prior accidents due to speed) we need to be thankful that there were no other serious injuries to all parties involved. Those who know his family/kids we need to continue to be there for them during this time as they are the one's who are suffering.
NOT compassion for "someone intentionally driving at a high rate of speed" mygoat. Compassion is for the living who bear the loss of a loved one, know him as a decent, loving person and will remember him always. We will however forget your comments very soon and wish you never gain the experience that you apparently are lacking now.
When it comes to the repeat traffic offenses this unfortunate guy had, and the fact that he has children, who does he think he is for driving so recklessly? He selfishly gave in to his own lust for recklessness and neglected the implications of his actions on his family and friends. Sorry folks, he could have prevented his own fate here. It's just a miracle that he didn't take another life with his own..
I feel for you people who are posting negative comments on this site about someone loosing their life because of a mistake(speeding). This man was my ex-husband and the father of his only two boys (7 and 10) who are now without a father. He also had little girls that are missing a father as well. These kids are the ones who will live without a father in their life. He was not a bad person and he had family who cared for him. What about our loss, posting negative comments are just flat out rude. One day you will have to live thru a tragedy/loss and I hope you wont be reading the things I have read. WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE ERIC and he will always remain in our hearts.
My father tried to console jbreeze's niece at the scene as she was in total shock. He told her it wasn't her fault and he is absolutely right.
You cannot yield to anything you cannot see.
Again, we are sorry for the loss and extend condolences to his friends and family.
The other parties involved need to be held accountable, such as the unidentified SUV who was also drag racing on the public roadway and the CR-V driver who ran over the victim twice after initial impact.
Hupp, my dad was one of the persons performing CPR on Eric and from what he described to me the body was in very bad shape from head to toe.
My take on the CR-V driver is apparently that person was trying to go either east or west onto Lake Mead while exiting the shopping center. I'd like to know which way it was because if it was east, there was another car in the eastbound turning lane behind the van who was waiting to turn into the shopping center, and that would have been a poor decision on the part of the CR-V driver.
I agree with Jarmas2006, Eric was a good man. He made a mistake, one that cost him his life. You all can not sit here and say you have never sped in your driving times. If you say you haven't your lying. We all have, yes thank goodness nobody else was injured. But I work in emergency medicine, I ride a motorcycle, I knew Eric and his family. I sat there last night and cried myself to sleep! He is gone and now there are 5 beautiful angels with out a father. What if it was your family member. Don't bash someone you don't know! All you know is what you read and that isn't fair to Eric or his family. He was a good man, he loved life, his family and his friends. None of you know the smiles he put on peoples faces, the joy he brought into peoples lives. So don't judge him, please. Eric should be remembered for the good man he was, that is how I will always remember him. Where is the driver of the SUV who ran over him and took off. Why don't you bash on him or her?! Motorcycles vs Car will always lose and Motorcycle rider is always the one hurt. Eric will forever be missed by all the ones that are left behind. He will never be forgotten. And before you go bashing his name, why don't you realize this man will never see his loved ones again. Think before you speak! In loving memory of Eric AKA Gixxer, you will be missed! Cano and Jarmas2006, please know my thoughts and prayers are with you along with the rest of Eric's family and friends.
I cannot believe what I have been reading.....this family I know...they are heartbroken over this tragic accident and to read the comments from some of you heartless people...Las Vegas....you should be ashamed! This is not free speech...it is the abuse of it! Also, to the Las Vegas Sun editors...What's wrong with you?...The death of someone that is loved is being dragged thru the mud by mindless and heartless idiots...and you are apart of this act. My heart goes out to the family...you too Hupp and Jarmas.
The driver of the CR-V never saw the rider.. he slid under the front wheels as she was pulling forward to exit the complex.. she backed up because she didn't understand what was going on. After the accident she still had no idea that she had run him over until she was told. The CR-V was not the vehicle racing him. It was a dark colored SUV.
I WAS ALSO A FRIEND OF ERICS. TO HIS FAMILY AND OTHER FRIENDS IM SORRY FOR OUR LOSS. I DROVE TO THE ACCIDENT SITE TODAY TO PAY MY RESPECTS AND SAY A PRAYER FOR HIM. ALTHOUGH ERIC WAS NO DOUBT SPEEDING, FROM MY TAKE THE PERSON THAT PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF HIM WAS NOT PAYING FULL ATTENTION. THERE IS A SMALL CURVE BUT NOTHING TO OBSTRUCT A PERSONS VIEW OF ONCOMING TRAFIC.(IF IT HAD BEEN A DIESLE DRIVING 100 THEY WOULD HAVE SEEN IT!)ALL MOTORCYCLES HAVE DAYTIME LIGHTS THAT CANT BE TURNED OFF THIS IS TO MAKE THE BIKE MORE VISIBLE. UNFORTUNATLY CARLESSNES ON BOTH SIDES FACTOR INTO THIS. INSTEAD OF BLAMING EACH OTHER I HOPE WE CAN ALL LEARN FROM THIS TRAGIC LOSS! CAR DRIVERS PAY A LITTLE MORE ATTENTION,AND MY FELLOW RIDERS SLOW DOWN AND BE SAFE.
I am shocked to see some of these postings. As a fellow rider and a friend of Eric's I would hope that people could be more respectful for the family and friends who have suffered a terrible loss. We all know that motorcycles are fast and hard to see but what matters her is that a life was lost. Eric was a good person and loved his family so much. It's unfortunate that his friends and family have to read these comments that are making them even more upset.
To FBIKILLEDMYGOAT, how can you be so heartless? The man has lost his life. He was my friend and I miss him dearly. I have cried myself to sleep. I have looked over and over to see if it was real, if it was not just a bad dream. We don't need to buy a clue. You need to grow a heart. Eric lost his life on sunday and you are here bashing him. He was a great man, father, husband and friend. If you only knew him the way we all did you would understand but since you are so heartless you don't care. Please have a little bit of compassion and think of all of us who lost a friend and fellow rider. Eric may you ride in peace my friend. In my prayers always. Fellow riders, be safe out there and watch out for one another.
eric was a union brother a a partner at my work for 2 years and helped me thru 2 of my divorces i rode with him frequently and this does not sound like him at all there are true friends and family grieving over this you need to watch what you say this couldda been your son grandson or what not for christs sakes a life was lost a a great father and friend is gone. R.I.P. Eric I love you bro!
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FBIdouchebag who do you think helped build the city we live in? Unions! What makes you think you are a productive member of societ? Sitting behind your computer being all tough and passing judgement on these people? Give it a rest.
Add a Y to the end of Societ!
someone worrying about someone killing your goat.?.?.? wow if you have a goat and worried about it in vegas that explains it all so thats why the sheep are scared out there too!! LOL
yeah fbikilledmygoat you all cant be productive and contributing members to society like me and thousands of others out there you have to sit on your butt playing computer Rambo and bashing someone when there is tons of people grieving and morning over this tragic loss. im not shy or hide behind a code word or a fake user name
FELLAS IM 159 TOO LETS ALL JUST SUGGEST REMOVAL OF ALL HIS S**T AND GET HIS WORTHLESS A** OFF OF HERE ITS APPARENT HE HAS NO LIFE
LOL bottom-feeders.... comes from a true tweeker wow we all know what u have on your mind and in your left hand
sounds like fbikilledmygoat is a little disappointed in himself to be bashing others and worried about others making more money than he will ever imagine and have a lifestyle he could only dream of
EVERYONE STOP GOING BACK AT EACH OTHER. His families have lost more than this nonsense (show respect for those that have lost) I had not seen the posting recently that has made so many disturbed. Dont respect those we have lost. PLEASE IT'S SO SAD THAT WE HAVE TO GO THRU IT. I loved this man and i am a so sad that we have to read this, show respect to his mother, father and his children!! please
No one is denying that this a an out and out tragedy, and my heart goes out to the families involved, however that does not excuse the cause of this terrible case. YOU DON'T RACE ON CITY STREETS PERIOD!! What part of this concept do some of you commentators out there NOT UNDERSTAND ?
Okay everyone lets pause for a moment. You are picking away at our family during this time of grief. You are speaking about MY BABY BROTHER. What I can't understand is how those of you who are criticizing can be so cold and heartless? My brother has paid the ultimate price for a mistake in judgment. Calling him every name in the book, and judging him in such a harsh manner will not bring him back to us. Nor will any lessons be learned through these blogs. What happened to constructive feedback? He, his children, siblings, family, and friends are forever affected by this tragic loss. Where is your humanity people? He or she who has not sinned, cast the first I've never done anything in my life I've regretted stone. We, as a people, have become so heartless, talking casually about a precious life that had such great value. Yes, he was going too fast. Yes, it saddens me that if he had made another choice, I could be hugging him and telling him how much I love him right now. Thank God I have personally received prayers and heartfelt condolences from those who have compassion and human understanding. My prayers also go out to everyone who has been affected. Too many of you have taken free speech to an all time low. May God keep you from ever experiencing anything tragic, and find your family member being deboned by heartless comments before they are even laid to rest.
SUN STAFF, sisterlove is right. enough is enough. show some respect to the family of the deceased and remove this article and discussion before this degenerates any further.
Sisterlove, please accept my sincerest condolences to you and your family!!!
Unfortunately, during today's economic times, people are just plain old careless and are secretly happy that someone is worse off than them, which is why they post here under screen names. Not trying to judge or lay blame, just trying to give explanation as to some of the nasty, ignorant posts here. I don't think they would be so unfeeling as to do this face to face.
Again, please accept my sincerest condolences to you and your family.
A FAMILY REQUEST. Please do not respond to another comment from fbikilledmygoat. This will prove to him that he's out there on his own. Thank you everyone who has offered your kind words of love and condolences. Good night and God bless.
Thank you, lets let this man rest in peace. That is what is about.
allthough eric was speeding is no excuse the driver of the van should have been paying more attention to the road.i knew eric and i worked with him for over 2 years he was a good dude and did not deserve to go out like this.to mia his kids and everybody who cared for him i am so sorry for youre loss i only met u twice mia and i dont know if u remember me my name is zach.we will all miss eric and the way he was always making us lough and so ambitious about life and his family.... to eric rest in peace brother we will miss u..
Some people obviously do not have the fear of God in them! Eric is also my brother, and he has 5 siblings, both parents, a wife, and 5 children that are grieving. It is beyond me that people are not looking at this as a life lost and just an accident, a statistic. My brother is a man that is full of life, love and laughter and to live a healthy-happy life, you need that to survive and of course with God's love. I'm proud to say that my brother knew the Lord and I know that when the collision happened, he instantly received his wings. I have been by his side during all his mishaps and now he will be by my side through mine! He is human with a heart, let me ask that God blesses those who need work in their lives and that you may receive all the love that our family has been shown. My brother was well known, liked, and loved. Please do not be sad for us as he is now in paradise and watching over us all, he did not suffer any pain at all. He vocalized and demonstrated his passion for riding and who wouldn't want to leave this earth doing what they loved? And for those of you who are wondering, Eric's still IS to me. God Keep us all!