Grim total: Metro records 100th traffic fatality of 2022
Two motorcyclists were killed in separate crashes in Las Vegas on Monday.
In the first, a rider was killed near North Las Vegas Boulevard and East Cheyenne Avenue in the northeast Valley when he crashed into a pickup truck that was doing a U-turn Monday just before 1 p.m., police said.
A few hours later, just before 5 p.m., another motorcyclist was killed when he collided with a pickup truck on South Decatur Boulevard at Doe Avenue, near Oakey Boulevard.
The deaths are the 99th and 100th traffic-related fatalities to happen in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s jurisdiction in 2022, police said.
According to a statement from Metro, just before 1 p.m. Monday, the first motorcycle rider was heading south down Las Vegas Boulevard North at a “high rate of speed” when his bike collided with a Nissan Titan pickup truck.
The truck had been making a U-turn from the northbound lanes of Las Vegas Boulevard North just north of Walnut Road into the southbound lanes.
That’s when the motorcyclist, riding on an Aprilia RS motorbike, collided with the front passenger side of the pickup, police said.
The motorcyclist was thrown from his bike. When paramedics arrived, they couldn’t do anything to save the rider.
The Clark County coroner’s office Tuesday identified the rider as Brandon Marx, 28.
“Arriving medical personnel determined the rider was beyond medical intervention and he was pronounced deceased at the collision scene,” said the Metro statement.
The pickup’s driver was identified Monday night as Marcelino Estrada-Cortez, 79, of Las Vegas. He wasn’t injured, didn’t show any signs of being impaired, and cooperated with the investigation, police said.
The Nissan Titan’s passenger, identified as Maria Estrada, 80, of Las Vegas, was taken to University Medical Center with minor injuries.
In the second crash, police said a silver 2005 Chevrolet Silverado that was northbound on Decatur was making a left turn onto Doe Avenue at 4:50 p.m. when a red 2021 Kawasaki 400 motorbike, heading south on Decatur, collided with the Silverado.
“A collision occurred when the truck conducted a left turn across the motorcyclist’s path of travel,” said a statement from Metro police.
The motorcyclist, Roberto Muradian, 32, died at University Medical Center trauma center, according to the Clark County Coroner’s Office.
“Despite all life-saving measures, the motorcyclist succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased,” police said. “The driver of the Chevrolet remained at the scene and did not display indicators of impairment.”
The identity of the first motorcyclist killed hadn’t yet been released as of Tuesday morning.
Police said both crashes were still under investigation.
Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter. Contact Brett Clarkson at bclarkson@reviewjournal.com or 561-324-6421. Follow @BrettClarkson_ on Twitter. Review-Journal intern Mark Credico contributed to this report.
