Mom mourns airman son killed in North Las Vegas motorcycle crash
Nicole Straber worried about her motorcycle-riding son like many mothers worry about their motorcycle-riding children, but she knew Killian Straber wasn’t ever going to shy away from taking a few chances here and there.
“Even as far back as when he was a toddler, he was a daredevil,” Nicole Straber said during a recent phone interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “He would do any crazy stunt that he could think of. He was a fearless thrill-seeker. There were always broken bones and stitches and blood.”
At around 2:30 p.m. on May 7, Staff Sgt. Killian Straber, 26, who was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, died after the Yamaha motorcycle he was driving crashed into a van near East Centennial Parkway and Losee Road in North Las Vegas.
North Las Vegas police said they determined that the speed of Straber’s motorcycle — the motorcycle Nicole Straber said she never wanted him to get — was “in excess of the posted limit” and was the cause of the crash.
A trend
In the weeks since Straber’s death, other motorcycle fatalities have occurred around the Las Vegas Valley.
On June 3, a 21-year-old man died after the motorcycle he was driving at a “reckless” speed on the 215 Beltway crashed into a Dodge Charger, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.
On May 21, according to the Metropolitan Police Department, Kyle Kraus, 33, lost his life after he lost control of the motorcycle he was driving before it crashed into a pole in the northeast valley.
The recent spate of motorcycle fatalities has motorcycle safety advocates concerned.
Of the 93 fatal crashes reported from the start of this year through the end of March, at least 21 involved the death of a motorcyclist and 16 of those occurred in Clark County, according to figures published by the Nevada Department of Public Safety in April.
That’s an increase of nearly 24 percent over the same time span last year, when 17 riders were killed on Nevada roads.
In 2024, an estimated 83 motorcyclists and 419 vehicle occupants were killed, the report stated, making it the deadliest year for all Nevada road users since 2006.
Nicole Straber said she hopes motorcycle drivers — and others on the roads from Las Vegas to her home near Indianapolis — can keep in mind that one wrong move could lead to a life or death situation.
“Motorcycles are dangerous and I think probably all moms would say that,” she said. “You’ve got to have your head on a swivel when you’re on a motorcycle because people just aren’t going to see you. People are going to look really quickly in their mirror and if they don’t see a big car, they’re going to go. As a motorcycle driver, you have to be the one to stay alert.”
Jared Richards, a Las Vegas personal injury attorney who has worked many motorcycle crash cases, said everyone on the roads of Southern Nevada needs to remember that lives can be changed in an instant.
“Every motorcycle rider is someone’s family,” Richards said. “Give them space. Be patient. Saving a life only takes a second. For riders, I say to be present and mindful. Your life is worth more than your right of way.”
Indiana boy
Nicole Straber said Killian grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana, which is about 20 miles outside of Indianapolis, and was often on a skateboard or a BMX bike as a young boy. He graduated from Brownsburg High School in 2017 before entering the Air Force.
“Killian loved life and he never came across something he didn’t want to try at least once,” Nicole Straber said. “Killian was an adventurer, but the other thing about him was that he had a big heart and a lot of compassion. He made friends wherever he went. All of us who knew him, we could count on him to brighten our day.”
Straber said her son was proud to serve his country. When talking about Killian’s past and his future plans, her voice started to break with emotion.
“He talked about possibly going to officer school in the future,” Nicole Straber said. “He was going to finish his bachelor’s degree. He was very excited when he learned he was going to come to Las Vegas. He was really excited to live in Las Vegas. His sister and me came to visit him in May of 2024 and he was just thrilled.”
Killian Straber arrived at Nellis in March of 2024 after Air Force stints in Louisiana and Alaska.
Maj. Daniel Strom, the commander of Killian’s squadron at Nellis, said Killian was the type of airman who was “always ready to go on a job.”
“He was very much a team player,” Strom said. “He was always trying to get the most out of any opportunity in front of him.”
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.