Motorcyclist killed in head-on crash with pickup truck near Panguitch

August 8, 2019 Utah Channel 3

ST. GEORGE — A motorcyclist was killed in a crash on state Route 143 in Garfield County Thursday evening after a pickup truck allegedly crossed the center line.

A motorcycle is extensively damaged in a head-on crash on state Route 143 that killed the rider near Panguitch, Utah, Aug. 8, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News

Shortly before 5 p.m., officers were dispatched to the crash near mile marker 50 just north of the Iron County line. Once on scene, they located 68-year-old Kevin S. Barnhurst, of Panguitch, who was later pronounced dead.

A statement released by the Utah Highway Patrol on Friday said Barnhurst’s motorcycle was heading south on SR-143 when it was struck by a northbound Toyota pickup truck. According to investigators, the driver of the truck crossed the center line and struck the bike head-on, killing the rider instantly.

The driver of the truck told troopers he had little or no memory of the crash, UHP Trooper Tara Wahlberg told St. George News.

Authorities are looking at drowsy driving as a possible cause. The accident investigation, however, is being turned over to the State Bureau of Investigation.

Wahlberg added that SBI typically gets involved in these types of investigations if the cause is “not cut and dry.”

With the investigation still active, the information being released is limited, the trooper added. No arrests have been made at the time of publishing.

This report is based on statements from police and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.