Tragic Interstate 40 Crash in Raleigh Kills One
RALEIGH, NC- Cbs17.com writes that a collision in Wake County, North Carolina, killed a motorcyclist over the weekend. The tragic afternoon crash occurred in the westbound lanes of Interstate 40 close to exit 303. The incident led to the highway being closed for several hours.*
Reports indicate that the victim rear-ended a larger vehicle causing him to be ejected. A second person on a motorcycle then ran over the first and was also ejected. Both of the motorcyclists were taken to WakeMed for treatment. The first motorcyclist later died from his injuries. Police identified the victim as a man in his fifties. The other motorcyclist is expected to recover from the crash. Police are still investigating the incident and have not yet filed any charges.
Fatal Motorcycle Accidents Are on the Decline
In recent years, motorcycle deaths have dropped in North Carolina. While motorcyclists still die far more often than other users of the road, recent years have seen an improvement in motorcycle safety. In North Carolina, motorcyclists only account for about two percent of registered vehicles, and yet about one out of every ten people who die in a traffic accident in the state is a motorcyclist.
North Carolina has a helmet law that requires anyone operating a motorcycle to wear a helmet that meets the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Wearing a helmet is just one of the things a motorcyclist can do to decrease their chances of being killed in a crash.
Wearing brightly colored clothing can also help increase safety as motorcyclists can be overlooked by other drivers on the road. Keeping motorcyclists safe on the road means other drivers must also follow the traffic laws and understand that motorcycles have the same right to be on the roadway as other types of vehicles.
Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes. To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.
Sources:https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/crash-closes-i-40-west-near-jones-sausage-road-in-raleigh/ and https://www.wral.com/motorcyclist-killed-in-crash-on-i-40-in-raleigh-near-jones-sausage-road/18896777/ and https://patch.com/north-carolina/charlotte/motorcyclist-fatalities-down-north-carolina-report and https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/license-id/driver-licenses/motorcycle/Pages/safety-helmet-law.aspx and https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/license-id/driver-licenses/motorcycle/Pages/motorcycle-safety.aspx