LC resident dies after crash last Thursday

The driver of a three-wheeled motorcycle that crashed into a van last week in Las Cruces has died as a result of his injuries, according to a Las Cruces Police release Thursday.

Raymond H. Jones Jr., 74, diedWednesdayafternoon at University Medical Center of El Paso.

According to police, Jones was driving a 1983 Honda trike that was headed northbound on Triviz Drive at around 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 2. LCPD traffic investigators learned that Jones apparently saw a friend’s vehicle, a purple 1975 Chevrolet van driven by 64-year-old Robert Duffey, headed southbound on Triviz.

As the two vehicles closed distance, Jones is believed to have intentionally crossed the center-divide for a brief moment and headed directly toward Duffey’s van.

It appears Jones then attempted to return to the northbound lane but over-corrected near Mulberry Avenue, causing the three-wheeled vehicle to begin to tip over. The left-rear wheel of the trike struck the front of the van causing the motorcycle to roll over twice.

Jones was not wearing a helmet and was thrown from the motorcycle. He was unresponsive when first responders arrived. Jones was transported to UMC where he remained in critical condition until his passingWednesdayafternoon.

Duffey was not injured but his vehicle was inoperable and drifted into the northbound lanes following the crash.