A motorcyclist is dead after being thrown from his bike and run over by at least two vehicles during a chain-reaction crash on westbound Interstate 10 in Avondale, and investigators still don't know who was behind the wheel of several vehicles involved, including one that allegedly drove away. The crash happened shortly after midnight on Oct. 17 near 107th Avenue, and Arizona DPS is now asking the public for help identifying the drivers.
According to 12News, the motorcycle was traveling westbound on I-10 when it collided with a car, throwing the rider off the bike. The rider was then struck by at least two other cars, the outlet reports, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Per Arizona's Family, the motorcycle first hit the rear of a passenger vehicle, and the impact is what threw the rider from the bike.
Riderless Motorcycle Slammed Into a Pickup
Even after the rider was ejected, the chaos wasn't over. The motorcycle itself kept traveling without its rider before crashing into a pickup truck, the station's report notes. In total, the pileup involved five vehicles, leaving DPS with a tangled scene and a long list of unanswered questions about who was driving what.
Among the vehicles DPS is trying to track down is a dark-colored Kia that left the scene without stopping, per the same account. Investigators are also looking for a light-colored SUV or crossover that was involved, though its driver has not been identified. DPS Vehicular Crimes Unit detectives are leading the investigation, according to Arizona's Family.
How to Submit a Tip
DPS is asking anyone with information about the crash or the vehicles involved to come forward. Tipsters can call 1-877-429-8477 or submit information online at azdps.gov/tips, referencing incident number I26063966, per Arizona's Family.
Fatal motorcycle crashes have occurred elsewhere along the same West Valley stretch of I-10 in recent memory. In April 2025, a man in his 30s was killed when his motorcycle collided with another vehicle near the 67th Avenue off-ramp, according to KTAR.com. And this past April, a separate deadly collision caused delays on I-10 in the West Valley near Buckeye and Verrado, KTAR.com reported at the time. No link between those incidents and the Oct. 17 Avondale crash has been established.
For now, the investigation into what happened near 107th Avenue remains open, with DPS detectives still working to piece together exactly how five vehicles ended up tangled together on the freeway in the middle of the night — and who was driving each one.
