HERRIMAN, Utah, Sept. 11, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — A Herriman man was critically injured when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a car at about 1:19 a.m. Sunday.
Unified Police Department Detective Ken Hansen said the accident, at 5018 W. 13400 South, occurred when an auto heading east made a left-hand turn into a commercial area. The driver of the vehicle didn’t see the motorcycle, and it appears the motorcyclist didn’t see the car was turning.
The motorcycle collided with the front passenger side of the car and then traveled approximately 60 feet beyond that, Hansen said.
The motorcyclist, a man about 33-34 years old, was not wearing a helmet. He was taken to the hospital by Life Flight and was listed in critical condition.
Hansen said, “Our reconstruction team will put all this back together” to ascertain the speed at which the two vehicles were traveling, the force of the impact, and to determine whether any charges will be filed. He said a detective would be checking on the rider of the motorcycle.
Hansen told Gephardt Daily that he couldn’t say if speed was a factor in the crash and it’s possible the vehicles were going at the posted speed.
“The issue is that it appears there was no braking,” Hansen said.
“Bikes are hard to see at night — and all the time,” he said. “We talk about helmets when we talk about motorcycle safety, but motorcycle training is important, too.”
Hansen said it’s important to learn to predict how drivers move and to try to find an escape route around a vehicle that’s turning in front of you.
“You’re harder to see at night,” he said, “so you need to take steps (for your safety) with reflective vests and brighter lights.”
Hansen didn’t know the age of the driver of the car, and neither man was identified by name. He said the motorcycle rider lives in the general area of the crash and was probably on his way home.
Gephardt Daily will update this story when more information is available.
