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LITTLEFIELD, Arizona — Authorities have identified a man who died in a motorcycle crash on I-15 near the Utah-Arizona border on Sunday.
Juan Jose Ortiz, 48, of Henderson, Nevada, died after striking a median wall on the highway and suffering fatal injuries, Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves said. The crash took place about 2 p.m. Sunday near mile marker 13, about 5 miles north of Littlefield, officials said Sunday.
Two motorcycles were heading northbound on the freeway, Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire Department officials said Sunday on Facebook.
Investigators believe Ortiz was in the left travel lane and was traveling at a high speed when he failed to negotiate a curve in the road and hit the wall, Graves said.
It was not clear as of Monday morning how the second motorcycle was involved, but its rider suffered critical injuries and was taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Graves said.
He added that the rider had surgery, but he was not sure if there were any changes in the person’s condition as of Monday. He did not provide any other details about that person’s identity.
Graves was unable to say whether impairment was suspected as a factor in the crash, but said the investigation is ongoing as of Monday.
The crash briefly shut down I-15 in the area on Sunday afternoon. No other information about the crash was available Monday.
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