PHOENIX — A deadly crash involving seven vehicles caused the closure of Loop 202 Red Mountain on Tuesday morning.
Arizona Department of Public Safety officials say the crash occurred around 8:45 a.m. along Loop 202 Red Mountain, near 32nd Street.
A motorcyclist, identified as 41-year-old Christopher Cartheuser, was taken to a hospital and later died.
During an investigation, DPS officials say the driver of an SUV was slowing due to heavy traffic and got rear-ended by the motorcyclist. The rider fell off, got hit by a utility van, and got pinned underneath.
Officials say the impact of the initial crash caused the SUV to hit multiple other vehicles.
"He had a big voice with a lot of good things to say," said Cartheuser's mom, Robin Jackson. "A lot of impact on those around him that will be missed."
She said most of his family lives in Ohio, but they do have a few relatives in Arizona.
The 41-year-old, according to family, lived in Tempe and worked in HR.
"It seemed as though it was consistently a bit of a wall across the traffic line that was an abrupt slowdown," said Jackson.
She said that's what her son experienced often on that particular stretch of the Loop 202.
ABC15 has requested crash data between 23rd Street and Priest Drive, where there were multiple fatal motorcycle crashes this week.
Video from the scene showed multiple damaged vehicles, including two commercial vans and a crashed motorcycle.
