Deadly wreck: SUV driver failed to yield right of way to speeding motorcyclist, police say

Police identified the motorcyclist killed in a wreck Wednesday night as Robert Gonzalez, 34, of El Paso.

The wreck happened October 11, 2017 shortly after 9pm on the 600 block of Sunland Park in West El Paso.

Police said Gonzalez was speeding while riding a 2001 Suzuki GSX east on Sunland Park. At the same time, 49-year-old Michael Mendoza was driving a 2014 Kia Sorento west, police added.

“Mendoza attempted to make a left turn into a business and failed to yield the right of way to Robert Gonzalez,” a police news release states.

Gonzalez crashed into the right side of the Kia Sorento and was thrown off the motorcycle, police said. The motorcyclist was rushed to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Special Traffic Investigators “determined that failure to yield the right of way on the part of Michael Mendoza and speeding on the part of Robert Gonzalez are contributing factors in this collision,” the news release states.

This is the 41st traffic-related death of 2017 compared to 50 at the same time last year, police said.