Last month was particularly deadly for motorcyclists in Nevada. In a span of one week at the end of the month three deadly accidents occurred leaving the surviving family members mourning and broken-hearted over the loss of their loved ones. The accidents all involved young men and none are suspected of driving under the influence.
Michael “Mikie” Sigler, an 18-year-old senior at Cimarron-Memorial High School with big post graduation plans, was hit and killed by a car while riding his motorcycle on a Friday afternoon. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Sigler was the middle child of five siblings and a registered organ donor whose organs went to help at least nine people in need.
Another motorcycle crash just a few days later occurred near Lake Mead. The victim identified by Clark County coroner’s was Christopher G. Alarcon, a 21-year-old Las Vegas resident. Pronounced dead at the scene, the crash was ruled an accident by the Nevada Highway Patrol. It was reported that Alarcon’s motorcycle, which was traveling northbound on Northshore Road near mile marker 34 in the evening hours, drifted off the road leading to a spiral of events resulting in him being ejected from the motorcycle.The Highway Patrol Southern Command stated that his was their 16th fatal crash this year.
A few days later, another tragedy occured when a 38-year-old Gardnerville man struck a tree and was killed while driving his motorcycle southbound on South Bently Parkway towards the intersection with Orchard.
This string in tragic accidents is part of a worrying trend of increased motorcycle accidents in Nevada, according to David Boehrer Law Firm. While fatalities have increased on roads and highways across the nation – not only in Nevada – the increase in Nevada is particularly pronounced. From 2015 and 2016, there was a 53% increase in motorcycle fatalities in Clark County alone. Safety experts have attributed the increase to a number of factors including more people driving on the roads and a dramatic upswing in distracted drivers.