A Glendora, Calif., man who was a part-time volunteer ski patroller at Diamond Peak Resort was identified Sunday as the driver killed Friday in a motorcycle crash west of Spooner Summit, the Washoe County coroner's office reported.
Douglas Lloyd Gardner, 45, lost control of his blue Harley-Davidson motorcycle when he swerved to avoid some wood in the road while heading eastbound on Highway 50, said Kristina Citro, his passenger.
The Idaho woman is recovering at Washoe Medical Center with a dislocated knee and elbow injury. She had surgery on her elbow Sunday morning.
She recalled seeing the guardrail, "and that was it," she said. "I never saw (Gardner)." She said both were wearing helmets.
Gardner was decapitated on the guardrail, the Nevada Highway Patrol reported. Citro, who ended up in the brush, was conscious when she was transported via Care Flight helicopter to the Reno hospital.
The motorcycle ended up 50 feet down a ravine in Glenbrook Canyon. The accident, called in at 4:25 p.m. closed the highway in both directions for about 20 minutes.
Citro, who said she had been dating Gardner for about a year, said he ran an insurance business and enjoyed mechanical engineering.
She added he was asked to teach at California Polytechnic University, Pomona in the fall.
Gardner worked at Diamond Peak over the last two winters.