Bend man killed in off-road motorcycle crash

A 33-year-old Bend man suffered fatal injuries in an off-road motorcycle crash Saturday evening southeast of Bend, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

Dispatchers received a call around 6:40 p.m. Saturday reporting an injury off-road motorcycle accident on Forest Service Road 23 in the East Fort Rock OHV (off-highway vehicles) area, about 20 miles southeast of Bend, said Lt. Joe DeLuca.

Forest Service law enforcement arrived on scene, along with Bend Fire paramedics, who determined an air ambulance was needed.

The motorcycle rider, Christopher Heising, was flown to St. Charles Bend, where he succumbed to his injuries, DeLuca said.

An investigation determined that Heising did not have a lot of experience riding off-road motorcycles, the lieutenant said.

“We believe he was traveling at a high rate of speed (and) lost control of his motorcycle, hitting a Forest Service sign,” DeLuca said in a news release.

Heising was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, deputies said.

DeLuca also said it’s believed “alcohol could be a factor in the crash.”