Deputy dies in motorcycle crash

Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — A 58-year-old McKinley County sheriff's deputy and candidate in the upcoming election for sheriff was killed instantly on Tuesday afternoon when his motorcycle slammed into the rear of a slow-moving vehicle.

D.K. Thomas, of Thoreau, sustained critical neck and chest injuries and did not respond to medical treatment administered by first responders at the scene located three miles west of the junction of State Road 371 and Navajo Route 11.

Undersheriff John Yearley, a spokesman for the sheriff's department, said Thomas was traveling in the eastbound lane of Navajo Route 11 when he approached a hill and the slow-moving vehicle at about 4 p.m. Thomas reportedly slammed on his breaks to avoid the collision, but was unable to prevent smashing into the rear of the pick-up truck.

Thomas was subsequently thrown from his Harley motorcycle and into the pick-up truck's cab. Yearley said Thomas died instantly from his injuries.

Yearley said it is not clear whether the pick-up truck's elderly female driver had completely stopped the vehicle or was driving well under the posted speed limit prior to the crash.

He said no extenuating circumstances, including alcohol, contributed to the fatal accident. Thomas was wearing a motorcycle helmet, he said. The Navajo and state police departments are conducting an investigation into the accident's cause and are working to reconstruct the crash.

Thomas' family, who lives in Thoreau, was notified on Tuesday evening by sheriff's department officials.

Thomas, a Vietnam War veteran, worked for the Navajo Police Department for 28 years and served as an administrative captain for the Crownpoint agency. After his retirement, he was hired at the McKinley County Sheriff's Department in December of 2003 where he worked as a patrolman until his death.

"He has always been a substantial police officer," Yearly said.

Thomas also had a love of motorcycles and was part of the Run to the Wall movement, which allows motorcyclists to travel cross country in groups.

Yearley said deputies are wearing badges of mourning today to remember their colleague. Funeral services have yet to be scheduled. It is not known whether the department will host a memorial service. Yearley said department officials will abide by the family's wishes.

"They are in severe mourning right now," he said.