Family, friends honor motorcyclist killed in 3-vehicle crash

About 30 people gathered Thursday night on the corner of a southwest Las Vegas intersection where a small memorial of flowers and candles had been set up to honor a motorcyclist killed in a Tuesday crash.

Las Vegas resident Corinthian Nordahl, 29, died in a three-vehicle collision at West Russell Road and South Buffalo Drive. He is being remembered as a smart business owner and dedicated brother and son.

“He was so intelligent, and his biggest intelligence was IT,” said Lori Murphy, Nordahl’s mother. “He was able to open a computer and just fix it, without any schooling.”

For more than an hour Thursday, his family and friends stood in a circle, some with lit candles, sharing stories about Nordahl.

They linked arms and held hands. Some laughed at funny memories, and others sobbed into each other’s shoulders.

Smart problem-solver

Nordahl’s aunt Carol Allgaier walked around showing photos of her nephew on her phone to the people gathered. She pointed out his “million dollar smile.”

“We just can’t believe it,” she said of her nephew’s death.

Robbie Bear’s mom is one of Murphy’s closest friends. He rides motorcycles and his mom was the one to tell him about the crash.

“Knowing that I’m out here in the same city that he is doing the same thing as a hobby, it’s really close to home,” he said during the vigil.

Motorcyclists keep their head on a swivel when riding to avoid a crash, Bear said.

“To motorists versus motorcyclists, for them to have that same level of awareness … There’s no blame on either side, but there is a way that we can work together,” Bear said.

Nordahl co-owned and operated Cool Nerd Squad, a local tech support business. Nordahl’s father, Jeremy Jimaii Nordahl, said that the business started as Nordahl advertising technology repair on Craigslist and taking the bus, and later a moped, to customers’ homes. Eventually Nordahl built the business into its current self, with a physical location near Fort Apache Road and Sahara Avenue.

People who worked with Nordahl described him as an incredibly smart problem-solver capable of designing and fixing anything he came across. His mother concurred, calling Nordahl “seriously a genius.”

Dedicated brother

The second of four children on his mother’s side, Nordahl was close to his two brothers and his younger sister. Murphy said she and her daughter would often stay with Nordahl when his sister traveled for dance events.

He was the oldest of eight children on his father’s side.

“His best attribute was just that he had an amazing heart, and he was just a really good brother,” said his father.

Nordahl was particularly close to a younger brother, Akilli Price. Nordahl was a mentor to Price, who moved from his hometown of Albany, Oregon, to live with his older brother in April.

“He showed me everything (about) what it was to be an adult, to live,” Price said.

Nordahl also helped pull him out of depression, Price said. Nordahl encouraged him to work out consistently, helping him lose over 160 pounds, he said. Nordahl also motivated Price to find his first job after high school, and later helped him find work in Las Vegas when the two lived together.

Price said that Nordahl often gave him life advice, not all of which he followed. But he said that his brother was “always right,” which he noted was annoying.

Nordahl was generous and approachable, no matter who he dealt with, Price said. Nordahl was especially dedicated to his loved ones, Price and Murphy said.

“Corinthian would always make time, throughout all his stress and things he always had to deal with, he always made time,” said Price.

Call to action

Nordahl’s aunt, Angelita Sanchez, called for Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and the City Council to take action to protect motorcyclists.

“I am a city councilor in my hometown, and I do everything I can to protect my citizens and there can be way more done to protect these riders,” said Sanchez.

Murphy agreed that Las Vegas needs to do more to protect its motorcyclists.

“People need to, bottom line, slow down,” said Murphy.

Murphy said the city should put more focus on policing speeding, and suggested it install more signs that track and display drivers’ speeds as they pass. She also called for removing flashing-yellow yield lights from all stoplights in the Las Vegas Valley, saying “there’s no caution there.”

Contact Mark Credico at mcredico@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarkCredicoII. Contact David Wilson at dwilson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @davidwilson_RJ on Twitter.