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By Cara McCoy 
Saturday, March 26, 2011 | 9:27 a.m.
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North Las Vegas Police say excessive speed and prescription drugs are possible factors in a Friday night crash that resulted in the death of a 24-year-old Las Vegas man who was ejected from his motorcycle.
Authorities said a preliminary investigation indicates that at about 10:30 p.m., the rider of a 2003 Suzuki motorcycle was northbound on Decatur Boulevard while a 2000 Nissan Quest van was southbound on Decatur. At the intersection of Casa Bonita Drive, police said the van made a left turn in front of the motorcycle.
As the van turned left, the motorcycle struck the right side of the van. The motorcyclist was ejected and thrown over the van, landing 41 feet away from the site of the collision, police said.
The driver of the van, a 21-year-old Las Vegas man, wasn’t injured.
The motorcyclist was taken to University Medical Center’s trauma unit in critical condition, where he later died from his injuries, police said.
Investigators said prescription drugs on the part of the van driver and excessive speed on the part of the motorcyclist might be factors in the collision. The driver of the van submitted to a blood test to determine the possible involvement of alcohol or drugs.
Charges are pending against the driver of the van, police said.
The Clark County Coroner's Office will release the name of the motorcyclist. Police on Saturday weren't releasing the name of the van's driver.
This is the first fatal crash of the year in North Las Vegas.
Death wish to ride a motorcycle in Las Vegas.
The three deadly motorcycle crashes this month were all ninja type bikes. The comment factor associated with ninja bikes are speed, reckless driving and deminished visability. Ninja bike riders ride hunched over which restricts their visability. Ninja riders also take risk because of their driving habits and recklessness. Ninja riders need to slow down, obey all traffic laws and anticipate other drivers, this will save their lives.
GSXR - check
excessive speed - check
squid - check
Most cyclists I see riding the highways do not display any sort of safety for themselves or the vehicles around them. When I road, it was with confidence not abandonment of common sense. Seems the only way to bring good riding skills to the cyclist is # 1, have a mandatory bi-annual class where real accidents are discussed about how they occurred and how they could have been prevented. Failure to attend these classes would mean the person's license would be revoked.
# 2 Levy a special state motorcycle tax on every 2 and 3 wheel vehicle. $500.00 tax to start, then it would double after the first accident. The rider will become more cautious when money is involved.
Zorro- what about the driver of the van? Most car - motorcycle accidents on city streets are the result of 4 wheeled vehicle carelessly turning left in front of the motorcycle.
RIP Buddy, Your family and mine are going to miss you.
You aren't going to change bad drivers. The only way to help the situation is to protect yourself. Riding a 2 wheeler in Las Vegas is not protecting yourself. It's a death wish. 2 bad drivers on the road..one in a car, one on a motorcycle. Trust me, the guy in the car lives for another day.
I don't blame the motorcyclists...but you have to be smart in this city. Driving a motorcycle is a death wish. Between the speeders, tailgaters, weavers, no signalers, texters, cell phone talkers...motorcyclists don't have a chance.
We, motorcyclists, have the responsibility to be seen. I installed super bright HID lights and I encourage all my two wheeled brothers and sisters(cruisers and sport bikes)do the same.
the motorcyclist in this article was a dear and true friend to a lot of people , he wasn't reckless unless he was in the dirt or on a drag track so this bs about them showing no sort of safety is crap. and for the rest of u low lifes that don't have anything to do besides blame the biker can go to hell. ask your selves who's really at fault, the driver took off on foot
I live right by this street. That stupid driver should get charged for pulling out in front of the motorcyclist. Just a horrible accident in general. My prays go out to his family.
Chunky says:
His sympathies and condolences to the friends and family of the fallen rider. It's always tragic to hear about a fellow two wheeled rider in an accident.
By turning in front of the motorcycle, the driver of the van caused this accident. If drugs are ultimately a factor the van driver should be charged accordingly. Regardless, it will never bring the rider back.
We all know or should know as riders that the dreaded left turn is among our biggest hazards. Chunky has added additional HID lighting to his bike as well but he always covers the brake with two fingers and assumes the oncoming motorist is going to make the turn.
Distracted and impaired drivers are a hazard for motorcyclists and other drivers as well.
Chunky urges all riders to wear all the gear all the time and to dress for the crash not the ride. He also begs motorists to go handsfree on their cells and not to text while driving.
That's what Chunky thinks!
R.I.P. Mr. Motorcyclist. The driver was under the influence of prescription drugs? Jail and publicity will stop this. Unfortunately, the motorcyclist's life is lost forever.
This man was my friend. We all will miss him more than imaginable. Please everyone be safe.
motorcyclist should not and proven cannot maintain road speed thru intersections. fellow riders, if u are not slowing down and preparing for evasive action for EACH AND EVERY intersection you will be in serious danger. what the bigger vehicle or other driver did, should do, has to do, no factor in defensive driving. i see my fellow IDIOT riders going thru a intersections 45-50 mph, smoking a cig, tank top on and oblivious to traffic all the time. i think wow, another amatuer, untrained reckeless goof ball.
We pray for the family and friends of the man that lost his life. I am fairly certain he didn't know this was going to be the last day of his life DO YOU?? We had an 18 year old son that died in a very "UNUSUAL WAY". The day he died he was all excited about getting to his cross country running class to test out his new shoes he was given free the night before. See NEWS VIDEO COVERAGE at http://allneedChrist.com. Our son was an AP calculus student in high school, cross country runner that ran 40 plus miles a week since the age of 8. When he died an autopsy was done and no drugs or alcohol were in his system.
"Driving a motorcycle is a death wish. Between the drunks, speeders, tailgaters, weavers, no signalers, texters, cell phone talkers...motorcyclists don't have a chance."
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That is why i stopped riding motorcycles, and after having 3 car crashes over the years caused by the same drivers listed above, i sometimes feel the urge to wear a helmet while driving my car.
The old and infamous left turn hazard. Motorists always claim they did not see the biker. They assume a biker can stop on a dime to let them pass, but the truth is bikes are light, and they tend to slide in a panic stop. Auto drivers will never appreciate this situation, they will continue to drive without regard to the safety of two wheelers. I parked my bike years ago, because of hazards like this.
People looking for trouble should not be surprised when they find it. Motorcyclists by definition are looking for trouble whether they admit it or not. Nonetheless, R.I.P. bro'.
They're not looking for trouble. That's ridiculous. My only point is that there are a disproportionate amount of idiot drivers in this town. Throw in free drinks at every gambling hall and it's a recipe for disaster for bikers. I don't care how careful or diligent motorcyclists are...they are on a ticking time bomb if they are riding in this town. I still can't believe they allow cell phone talk while driving and not just hands free.
The guy was out for a ride, coming home from work, whatever..now he belongs to the ages. Terrible tragedy.
If you really have the urge to ride, go off roading up near Nellis. I wouldn't ride on pavement in this town if you paid me.
Both parties are to blame the gentalman in the van was high on god knows what he shouldnt have been driveing and the youngman on the motor bike was doing and extream speed through the intersection this is a case of neglagent driveing on both ends of the stick its sad to see such a young person die due to his own neglagentce and someone els stupidity. Good to see whos behind the wheel these days.