Motorcyclist killed in Essex County
Tire marks evident on pavement as Harley in collision with Corolla
A motorcycle rider died Monday after colliding with a car at a busy intersection on Amherstburg’s northern edge.
The deadly crash happened Monday afternoon on County Road 8, also called North Townline Road, near Western Secondary School. The Amherstburg Police Service had not released any details about the identity of the motorcycle rider by press time. Amherstburg police shut down County Road 8 at Concession Road 6, also known as Broderick Road, around 2:15 p.m.
Police, who confirmed a person died in the crash, said the public could expect the intersection to be closed in all directions for several hours. The road closure actually stretched into the evening. Police didn’t open the intersection again until shortly before 7 p.m. A resident who lives close to the intersection said he called 911 after he heard the sound of screeching tires and saw rubber marks on the road.
“I didn’t see the bike until I walked up here,” said the resident, who declined to give his name. The wreckage of a red Harley Davidson motorcycle was visible in the middle of the road, as well as a silver Toyota Corolla with dents in its driver side door. Rubber marks from vehicle tires also snaked in and out of lanes on North Townline Road.
Emergency blocks could be seen underneath the Toyota, propping up the vehicle. The blocks are often used to keep something off the ground when someone is pinned underneath.
Drivers on North Townline Road have the right of way at the intersection. There are stop signs for motorists on Broderick Road approaching North Townline Road. The speed limit there is 80 km/h.
Police posted “Road Closed” signs on both Broderick Road and North Townline Road far in advance of the closed intersection. Despite that, officers had to turn back a steady stream of drivers approaching the crash scene hoping to get through. Monday’s deadly collision was the latest of several motorcycle crashes this season in Essex County. On June 26, there was a collision involving a motorcycle and a car on County Road 8, just one road over from Monday’s fatal crash.
In that case, Amherstburg police said the car and motorcycle crashed into each other east of Howard Avenue. Police said the man riding the motorcycle was treated at hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
Last month in Windsor, a motorcycle rider suffered non-life threatening injuries after crashing into a bus shelter at the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Wyandotte Street East. Windsor police said the 55-year-old driver lost control of the motorcycle for no apparent reason.
Police said the rider had stopped for a red light at Jefferson. When the light turned green, he continued heading west on Wyandotte but suddenly lost control. There was about $5,000 in damages to the bus shelter and $15,000 in damages for the motorcycle. Investigators said the driver, who did not have a licence, would be charged with careless driving. Earlier this year, Ontario Provincial Police said the death toll for motorcyclists on roads they patrol hit a 10-year high in 2017. The OPP said 48 motorcycle riders were killed last year in the province, up from 36 in 2016. Provincial police added that 27 of those motorcyclists were not at fault for the crashes that killed them.