PHOENIX — A 50-year-old motorcyclist has died following a crash Sunday night in Phoenix, marking the fourth known fatality of this type in just the last week.
Phoenix police said Eric Busby died at the hospital after he was hit while riding a motorcycle near Cactus and Cave Creek roads.
It appears Busby was traveling eastbound at a high rate of speed when he collided with the back of a gray four-door vehicle that was leaving a private drive on the south side of Cactus Road and cleared three lanes before being hit by Busby, police said.
The driver was not injured and showed no signs of impairment.
The Sunday night crash is the fourth motorcycle-related fatality reported in the Valley within the last week, according to previous reports.
On the morning of March 3, a motorcyclist died after crashing near 64th Street and Dixileta Drive.
A man died on March 2 after his motorcycle crashed near 75th and Grand avenues.
On Feb. 27, an 18-year-old motorcyclist sustained fatal injuries in a crash near 31st Avenue and Camelback Road. A non-fatal motorcycle crash was also reported on March 2.
The Arizona Department of Transportation reported 228 motorcycle-related fatalities throughout the state in 2022, which was a significant increase from previous years.
UP TO SPEED
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.