Police identified a Scottsdale resident who died Sunday after speeding and crashing his motorcycle on Loop 101.
Michael T. Smiley, 31, who officers said was traveling at least 112 mph at the time of the crash, died from head injuries about 6:23 a.m., marking the first fatality in 2007 on Scottsdale’s portion of the freeway, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
It was one of two deadly motorcycle accidents in the East Valley Sunday. Two others were killed in a crash in Chandler.
Smiley was traveling northbound on Loop 101 near Via de Ventura when he lost control of his bike on a curve, went off the roadway into a dirt median and struck a post that supports the median cable barrier, according to a DPS report.
Smiley was wearing a helmet, the report said. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
About 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Chandler police responded to a crash involving two motorcycles at the intersection of Alma School Road and Palomino Drive. Howell Smitherman, 50, of Chandler, was pronounced dead at the scene, and Jon Shannon Hepburn, 37, also of Chandler, was later pronounced dead at a hospital, according to Chandler police.
The men, who were not wearing helmets, both suffered head trauma, police said.
Details of the crash were not available, and the incident remains under investigation, said Chandler police Detective Frank Mendoza.
