ST. GEORGE — The St. George community and the Whitaker Construction family have tragically lost three of their own.
Twelve friends and family drove out of St. George last Saturday morning for an early Spring motorcycle ride.
There were eight custom Harley Davidson motorcycles in the caravan, and four of them had passengers.
Saturday afternoon outside of Laughlin, Nevada, on state Route 163 near U.S. 95, a semi-truck collided with two of the Harleys, killing three motorcyclists. Jeremy Gebo, 44, was riding solo. Owen Hart and his fiancee, Athena Taylor, both 22, were riding tandem.
All three, each a resident of St. George, died by what the Clark County coroner called, “Multiple blunt force trauma.”
St. George News learned that 11 of the 12 riders in the caravan work for or are affiliated with Whitaker Construction, one of the largest contractors in Utah with multiple offices throughout the state, including one in St. George.
Whitaker is employee-owned and very tightly knit. Its website speaks of “having each other’s back.” The impacts of the tragic motorcycle accident rippled throughout the construction industry in Utah.
Whitaker Vice President of Human Resources Ryan Vaughn told St. George News that there was a companywide employee meeting on Monday morning.
“We’re still sorting through personal details and offering grief counseling as a whole for all our employees,” Vaughn said.
Gebo was superintendent for gas with Whitaker. He also worked closely with Dominion Energy.
Sources close to Whitaker told St. George News that Gebo was well-known and respected by all. He was called a “natural leader” and “everybody loved him.”
Hart was a truck driver at Whitaker. He and Taylor were engaged last December and were looking forward to their upcoming wedding.
Melissa Hart, Owen’s mother, lives and works in St. George. A coworker of her’s set up a GoFundMe campaign to help the family with funeral expenses.
8 News Now in Las Vegas reported that a 29-year old man named Claude Rifiki was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on charges including three counts of DUI resulting in death.
No further details about Rifiki were released, and no word was given as to why he may have been driving in the wrong lane at the time of the collision.
Photo Gallery
Friends and fellow employees at Whitaker Construction take a break from a motorcycle ride, location not specified, March 23, 2024 | Photo courtesy Shane Carter for the St. George News
Friends and fellow employees at Whitaker Construction gear up for a motorcycle ride, St. George, Utah, March 23, 2024 | Photo courtesy Shane Carter for the St. George News
Jeremy Gebo on vacation, date and time not specified | Photo courtesy Shane Carter for St. George News
Owen Hart and fiancee Athena Taylor, date and location not specified | Photo courtesy Shane Carter for St. George News
Owen Hart and fiancee Athena Taylor, date and location not specified | Photo courtesy Shane Carter for St. George News
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