VINEYARD, Utah, April 18, 2022 — A fatal motorcycle crash closed the Center Street overpass in Vineyard Monday night when the rider hit a side barrier and was sent skidding down the overpass at least 120 feet from the point of impact.
His motorcycle careened another 100 feet beyond him in the fatal mishap just before 7:20 p.m. He was not wearing a helmet, said Sgt. Spencer Cannon, Utah County Sheriff’s spokesman. “Whether a helmet would have saved him, I don’t know. But it would have given him a chance.”
Speed was a factor as the cyclist was traveling 55 mph or more in an area posted at 35 mph, Cannon said, in this town just west of Orem.
The overpass was closed immediately following the crash, the sheriff’s office posting advisories online asking motorists to avoid the Center Street overpass, Center Street a major arterial for nearby Provo-Orem. It was expected to re-open by 11:30 p.m.
The name of the deceased was being withheld pending notification of next of kin. He was believed to have lived in Vineyard the last few weeks after moving here from out-of-state.
No other vehicles were involved, the cyclist either losing control or just drifting out of his lane to side-swipe the cement barrier leading on to the overpass near Mill Road.
