A motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the Juan F. Luis Hospital on Tuesday night following a two-vehicle accident near Kmart West, according to the V.I. Police Department.

At approximately 7:06 p.m., the Traffic Investigation Bureau was notified by the Virgin Islands Emergency Management Agency to investigate the accident on Queen Mary Highway Route 70. The preliminary investigation revealed that the collision occurred on Queen Mary Highway at the intersection north of Kmart West, involving a Jeep Wrangler Sahara and a Suzuki GSX motorcycle.

As the Jeep began to turn eastbound into the eastbound lane from the Kmart parking lot, the westbound motorcycle struck the Jeep’s front right fender. The motorcyclist fell onto the roadway, and his motorcycle skidded approximately 197 feet from the impact area into the westbound lane. The Jeep stopped partially in the eastbound lane.

The motorcyclist, 23-year-old Zioney Ruiz, was transported to the Juan F. Luis Hospital via ambulance, where he later died due to multiple blunt force trauma to the body and head. The driver and passenger in the Jeep were not injured.