4 dead in rally-related motorcycle crashes
Authorities urge extra caution as about 250,000 bikers attend event in Galveston
Two people riding motorcycles without helmets died in separate crashes Friday in Galveston, bringing the death toll to at least four as 250,000 bikers assembled for the annual Lone Star Rally.
Both the 54-year-old Rockwall woman and the 65-year-old League City man died after sustaining serious head injuries, Galveston police said.
Two other motorcyclists were killed Thursday in Hardin County en route to Galveston, according to the Department of Public Safety. James Horton, 34, and Casey
Horton, 35, of Lewisville, were riding a motorcycle behind a Dodge pickup on S.H. 326 in Hardin County when the truck turned into the shoulder, intending to make a U-turn. While turning, the truck hit their bike, according to DPS.
The Hortons, both of whom were wearing helmets, died at the scene, DPS said.
According to a Facebook post, James Horton was a mechanic at the Lumberjack Harley-Davidson shop in Nacogdoches.
The truck’s driver and passenger were not injured, DPS said.
The rally has seen a series of fatal crashes in recent years. In 2011, three motorcyclists were killed in separate crashes. In 2015, a man was killed when his motorcycle
collided with a semitruck. And in 2016, a motorcyclist struck and killed two Katy residents as they walked along the Galveston Seawall.
The Friday crash involving the Rockwall woman happened shortly after 6 p.m., when several motorcyclists approached East Beach
Drive while heading east along Seawall Boulevard.
As the man driving the lead motorcycle began braking to make the sharp turn onto East Beach Drive, which leads to Apffel Park at the island’s east end, a trailing motorcyclist failed to notice the