LAS VEGAS — A Grand Rapids, Michigan, truck driver as been arrested in connection with the deaths of three motorcyclists on March 23 near Laughlin, Nevada.
According to the Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP), 29-year-old Claude Rafiki was driving under the influence when he drove his semi the wrong way on State Route 163.
Rafiki faces charges of DUI and reckless driving causing death or substantial bodily harm.
A news release from the NHP stated that just before 3 p.m., Rafiki’s Freightliner crossed the center median into wrong-way traffic, striking two motorcycles carrying three riders.
According to the Clark County Coroner’s Office, those who died are Owen Hart, 22, Jeremy Gebo, 44, and Athena Fay Taylor, 21 — all of Saint George, Utah.
The three were reportedly riding to celebrate Hart’s birthday and the beginning of his career as a truck driver. Hart and Taylor were also newly-engaged, according to reports.
KLAS reported that Rafiki’s initial court appearance was delayed several days as the courts worked to find Rafiki a translator.
Rafiki speaks Kinyarwanda, a Central African language.
A judge has set a $500,000 bond in the case.
According to Clark County Jail records, Rafiki remains behind bars.
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
