St. Croix, USVI - On March 21, 2023, at approximately 7:06 P.M., the Traffic Investigation Bureau was notified by the Virgin Islands Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA), to travel Queen Mary Highway Route 70 in the vicinity of Kmart west to Investigate a two-vehicle crash.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the collision occurred on Queen Mary Highway in the intersection north of Kmart West. The vehicles involved were a Jeep Wrangler Sahara and a Suzuki GSX. The operator of the Jeep was exiting from the Kmart parking lot, south to north, and heading eastbound while the operator of the motorcycle was heading westbound.

As the Jeep began to turn eastbound into the eastbound lane, the motorcycle which was heading westbound struck the Jeep on the front right fender. The operator of the motorcycle fell onto the roadway in the intersection while his motorcycle fell and skidded approximately 197’ from the area of impact into the westbound lane. The Jeep after the sudden impact stopped partially in the eastbound lane.

The operator of the motorcycle was taken to the Juan F. Luis Hospital via ambulance to immediately receive medical treatment. The driver nor the passenger in the Jeep sustained any injuries. The attending Emergency Room Physician at the Juan F. Luis Hospital revealed that 23-year-old Zioney Ruiz’s death was caused by multiple blunt force trauma to the body and head. He indicated that the time of death was 9:57 p.m. on March 21, 2023. The next of Kin was at the Juan F. Luis Hospital and was notified of the death of Ruiz.