Investigation into fatal motorcycle crash delayed

Detectives have yet to begin their investigation into an April 14 crash that killed a Vancouver motorcyclist.

Clark County sheriff’s Sgt. Dennis Pritchard said detectives that investigate traffic crashes have been kept busy with other investigations, including another serious-injury motorcycle crash that occurred the same day as the fatal collision.

James Luden, 54, was driving a Harley-Davidson motorcycle west on Padden Parkway and had stopped shortly before 4 p.m. April 14 to wait for a left-turn signal onto southbound Northeast 94th Avenue, according to the sheriff’s office.

A 2010 Mitsubishi Galant heading west on Padden Parkway struck the motorcycle from behind, propelling Luden into a 1972 Ford pickup that had also stopped to turn left, according to the sheriff’s office.

Pritchard said that a toxicology report and search warrants for the vehicles and cellphones of those involved are all part of the standard investigation.

“Everything kind of goes into a holding pattern once you leave a (crash) scene,” Pritchard said. “They’ve just been busy.”