Recent Corpus Christi motorcycle crashes leave 3 dead, officer injured
The second fatal motorcycle crash to happen in Corpus Christi in under a week took the lives of two riders on Sunday, May 19, while a separate motorcycle crash on Tuesday left a police officer injured.
Corpus Christi Police Department senior officer Antonio Contreras said officers responded to a call at 12:35 a.m. reporting a major vehicle crash involving a motorcycle and truck in the 1500 block of Airline Road, arriving to find the wrecked motorcycle in the roadway.
The 32-year-old male driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The motorcycle passenger, a 30-year-old woman, was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. She died in the hospital a short time later.
Follow-up traffic investigators were called out to assist, with the driver of the truck staying on scene before being transported to a local hospital for assessment, Contreras said.
Police investigators learned that the crash happened as the motorcycle was traveling south in the 1500 block of Airline Road when the truck, traveling north, failed to yield the right of way as the driver turned west into a private driver, striking the motorcycle.
The driver of the truck, Carmen Guevara, 52, was later arrested and charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter.
In a separate motorcycle crash this week, a CCPD officer in the motors unit was struck on Tuesday by a vehicle while conducting a funeral procession.
CCPD police Lieutenant Eryca Gonzalez said officer was traveling south on Kostoryz Road when the other driver, headed east on Sacky Drive, attempted to turn north on Kostoryz Road, striking the officer.
She said the officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital. The accident is still being investigated. The driver who struck the officer was cited for failing to yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle, as well as interference in a funeral procession.
The two crashes come after a motorcycle crash early May 17 on South Padre Island Drive, killing a 21-year-old man who was traveling west on the highway near the intersection of Everhart Road when he crashed into another vehicle. A third vehicle then hit the same vehicle that was struck by the motorcyclist, though none of the other motorists were injured.
According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 28% of 18 total fatal motor vehicle crashes that happened in Corpus Christi in 2022 were due to speeding, and three those fatal crashes resulted from motorcyclists speeding.
Other factors that contribute to motorcycle-related deaths on the city's roads include high daily traffic volume, highway intersections and a high number of lanes.
More: Man dies after motorcycle crash on SPID early Friday morning
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Recent Corpus Christi motorcycle crashes leave 3 dead, officer injured
