LEHI — Police are investigating whether excessive speed was a factor in a fiery motorcycle crash that claimed the life of a 46-year-old Lehi man.
Stephen Andrews was traveling north on 850 East and was nearing 500 South at 11 a.m. Wednesday when he lost control of his motorcycle and slid into southbound traffic, said Lehi Police Sgt. Darren Paul.
The motorcycle collided with a sport-utility vehicle and the impact pushed the motorcycle off the road into the shoulder.
The crash also started a fire, which burned the front of the SUV, the bike and the weeds on the road's shoulder, Paul said.
Witnesses pulled the man off the bike and away from the fire and started CPR. Emergency crews attended to Andrews immediately after arriving. They also doused the fire.
Andrews was pronounced dead at the scene.
He was not wearing a helmet, Paul said.
"The posted speed is 30 miles an hour," Paul said. "We're investigating to determine the (exact) speeds, but speed was definitely a factor."
Paul said they don't have any indication the SUV was speeding but will investigate that as well. The driver of the SUV, a Utah County man in his 30s, was not cited. Paul said.
"I think it happened so fast ... that he couldn't have reacted fast enough," Paul said about the driver. Both the motorcycle and the SUV are considered totaled, Paul said.
Traffic was shut down in both directions for nearly three hours as crews cleaned the area. However, a nearby industrial loop allowed motorists to get where they needed to go.