Five killed in Labor Day weekend traffic accidents

Five people were killed in separate auto accidents in Southern Nevada over the Labor Day weekend.

At 12:26 a.m. Saturday a motorcyclist died from injuries sustained when he slid into the back of a Dodge Neon that was stopped at the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Bonanza Road.

Witnesses said that the Neon had stopped at a red traffic light and that the Yamaha motorcycle did not stop in time causing the accident. The Yamaha rider, a 40-year-old Las Vegas man, was transported to University Medical Center where he died

The driver of the Neon, Dione James, and his passenger, Lisa Brooks, suffered no injuries in the accident.

On Sunday at approximately 8:03 p.m., a man died of injuries suffered hitting a palm tree near the valet parking exit of the Showboat hotel-casino.

The man picked up his Toyota Camry from the valet attendant and rapidly accelerated out of the parking lot, witnesses said.

The car made it out of the driveway, but jumped into a planter and struck the tree. The driver was taken to UMC where he died as a result of his injuries.

The accident brought the total of traffic-related fatalities in Metro Police's jurisdiction to 77 this year.

On Friday a 19-year-old Las Vegan was taken to UMC in critical condition after being struck by a Nissan pick-up truck. The victim was upgraded to fair condition.

The man was attempting to cross Tropicana Avenue east of Titanium Avenue when he ran into the path of Osmel Lamela's truck, witnesses said. Police said jaywalking appears to be the primary cause of the collision.

The Nevada Highway Patrol reported that two men died Friday in a head-on collision near Pahrump on State Route 160 shortly before 10 p.m. The accident took place nine miles east of the Nye County line.

Both drivers, John Reiman, 44, of Daytona Beach, Fla., and Billy Russell, 58, of Pahrump, were pronounced dead at the scene. The cars struck each other when Reiman hit a stop sign and swerved into oncoming traffic. When the car struck the sign, it broke the car's headlights, then collided with Russell's white Pontiac.

NHP Trooper Scott Flabi said that an open container of alcohol was found in Reiman's car.

Another man was killed on the same road at 8:45 a.m. Friday when he attempted to pass a vehicle and hit an oncoming car. Richard Dale Fessler Jr., 40, of Pahrump, died at the scene and Las Vegan Christopher Harrison, the 31-year-old driver of the other car involved in the crash, was treated for minor injuries.

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