On February 1, 2018, at approximately 12:20 p.m., Tucson Police officers and members of the Tucson Fire Department were dispatched to the intersection of North Stone Avenue and East Blacklidge Drive for a report of a serious injury collision involving two motorcycles and a small SUV.
Upon arrival, two motorcyclists were found in the roadway. One was immediately transported to Banner University Medical Center with serious injuries. The other motorcyclist, 25-year-old Randy Zimmerman, was pronounced deceased on scene.
Detectives were able to determine that the two motorcycles, a black 2006 Kawasaki Sport and a maroon 2013 Harley Davidson, were stopped facing northbound at the red signal light on Stone Avenue at Glenn Street. Both motorcycles were sharing the curb lane and were the first vehicles at the intersection. When the signal light phased to green, they both accelerated quickly. At the same time, a white 1998 Jeep Cherokee was traveling westbound on East Blacklidge Drive, approaching North Stone Avenue.
The driver of the Jeep stopped at the stop sign and then proceeded westbound across Stone Avenue. As he fully entered Stone Avenue, the Kawasaki motorcycle collided into the side of his Jeep. The driver of that motorcycle did not survive. The driver of the Harley Davidson was a short distance behind and saw the Jeep in the roadway. He then purposely laid his motorcycle down to avoid the collision and slid across the roadway. The driver of the Jeep remained on scene and cooperated with the investigation. Speed appears to be a factor on the part of the motorcycle riders. No citations or arrests have been made at this time, as this is still an on-going investigation.