An Albuquerque motorcyclist was killed and his wife seriously injured Sunday when the bike he was driving smashed into a guardrail along N.M. 14 south of Madrid, throwing him over a the cliff, according to the sheriff's department

Lt. Joe McLaughlin of the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department said Kevin Tran, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene after he was thrown off the bike and 80 feet down the embankment along a sharp mountain curve about five miles south of Madrid.

His wife, Cindi Pham, 35, the passenger, was pinned under the motorcycle on the roadway and suffered leg injuries. She underwent surgery at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, McLaughlin said. She was expected to recover.

The two were heading north at the time of the accident, about 12:30 p.m. Neither was wearing a helmet, and alcohol was not a factor in the crash, McLaughlin said.

The highway in the area was closed to one lane for several hours after the accident.