FREDERIKSTED — Friends and family are paying tribute to a motorcyclist who lost his life near Kmart West last night.
Zioney Ruiz, 23, was pronounced dead after multiple blunt force trauma to the body and head from the motorcycle accident, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
The St. Croix ER doctor said that the time of death of Ruiz was 9:57 p.m. on March 21, 2023,, according to the VIPD.
The Traffic Investigation Bureau was notified by the Virgin Islands Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) at 7:06 p.m. to travel Queen Mary Highway near Kmart west to investigate a collision, the Virgin Islands Police Department said..
Preliminary investigation revealed that the collision occurred on Queen Mary Highway in the
intersection north of Kmart West.
The vehicles involved were a Jeep Wrangler Sahara and a Suzuki GSX. The operator of the Jeep was exiting from the Kmart parking lot, south to north, and heading eastbound while the operator of the motorcycle was heading westbound, according to the VIPD.
“As the Jeep began to turn eastbound into the eastbound lane, the motorcycle which was heading
westbound struck the Jeep on the front right fender,” VIPD Communications Director Glen Dratte said. “The operator of the motorcycle fell onto the roadway in the intersection while his motorcycle fell and skidded about 197 feet from the area of impact into the westbound lane. The Jeep after the sudden impact stopped partially in the eastbound lane.”
The operator of the motorcycle, Ruiz, was taken to the Juan F. Luis Hospital via ambulance to immediately receive medical treatment. Neither the driver of the Jeep, nor the passenger, sustained any injuries.