A 24-year-old married father of two was killed early Wednesday morning when he lost control of his motorcycle in Gold Hill.
Joshua Spriggs, of Virginia City, was southbound on State Route 342, just south of the railroad tracks at about 6:45 a.m., when he lost control of his Suzuki motorcycle, ran off the northbound side of the road and into a gravel lot, said Nevada Highway Patrol Sgt. Blair Harkleroad.
"He applied the brakes. The bike entered into a lock-wheel skid and went down, and Mr. Spriggs was ejected," Harkleroad said.
Spriggs was pronounced dead at the scene.
A U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, Spriggs was also a close friend of Sgt. Anthony Schober, formerly of Gardnerville, who was reported as missing and later found dead in Iraq in May 2007.
At the time of Schober's disappearance, Spriggs told the Nevada Appeal he was certain his high school friend would be found safe. He said Schober was the godfather of his children and that he and his wife, Kathleen, named their youngest child after Anthony.
Schober's father, Ed Schober, of Carson City said he was saddened to hear the news Wednesday of Spriggs' death.
He said his son and Spriggs became fast friends when they lived across the street from one another in Gardnerville in 1998, and their friendship lasted through the years.
When Spriggs went into the Job Corps, Anthony followed, Ed Schober said.
When Spriggs joined the Army, Anthony wasn't far behind.
Ed Schober said he hadn't seen Spriggs since last May at his son's funeral.
"I'm sorry to hear what's happened," he said. "He was there for my son."
The accident blocked traffic in the area for over two hours. The cause is under investigation.
• Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.