UHP offers safety reminders following 2 fatal motorcycle crashes

LAYTON — Two motorcycle riders died in separate crashes in Utah Saturday, including a 52-year-old man involved in a firefighter memorial ride and a 56-year-old Colorado man who died in a motorcycle crash on I-15.

The first crash happened around 11:17 a.m. in Davis County during the annual Fire Ride, an event that starts in Sandy and ends in Ogden and typically attracts 300 to 400 riders.

According to the Utah Highway Patrol, the 52-year-old Tooele County man was involved in a chain-reaction crash with two other motorcycles on U.S. Highway 89 and Gordon Lane in Layton.

The man was not wearing a helmet and died while being taken to the hospital.

About three hours later, around 2 p.m., a motorcycle crash happened on northbound I-15 north of Beaver.

The highway patrol said the 56-year-old Colorado man failed to make a curve. His motorcycle left the roadway and struck a traffic sign.

He died at the scene. The highway patrol said he was wearing a helmet and wind may have been a factor in the crash.

UHP offers safety reminder

With the two fatal crashes happening just hours apart, Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. McCall Christensen urged motorcyclists to take precautions before and during their rides.

"Wear your safety equipment. Slow down, drive the speed limit, drive what the road allows you, the conditions allow you to do," Christensen said. "Get rid of any distractions that you might have, and then just watch your following distance."

Christensen said investigators are still looking into the circumstances surrounding both crashes.

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