Fatal crash on Blue Diamond Road east of Pahrump closes roadway

A fatal crash that involved several vehicles on Blue Diamond Road late Monday afternoon shut down traffic in both directions, Nevada Highway Patrol officials said.

The crash happened three miles east of Mountain Springs at about 5:50 p.m. and involved two SUVs and three motorcycles, NHP trooper Chelsea Stuenkel said.

The motorcyclists were behind a Honda CR-V headed west toward Pahrump on the two-lane road, Stuenkel said. That's when the first motorcyclist swerved into the oncoming traffic lane to pass the CR-V, but was immediately struck head-on by a Ford Edge.

When that happened, the Ford Edge flipped and rolled, slamming into the oncoming CR-V. At that time, the trailing two motorcycles also hit the CR-V.

Stuenkel said the first motorcyclist died on scene. Another motorcyclist and all three of the Ford Edge's occupants were taken to University Medical Center's trauma unit. The last motorcyclist and both people in the CR-V was unharmed.

The road was shut down at the State Route 159 turn-off and was expected to remain closed until about 11 p.m., Stuenkel said.

Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Find her on Twitter: @rachelacrosby