Too often we hear about serious injuries and death caused by drinking and driving. The majority of these crashes involve cars, but it’s important to remember that motorcycle accidents can be caused by driving under the influence, too.
Two friends from Greenville, Pennsylvania, a man and a woman in their 20s, lost their lives in a collision that appears to have been caused by a third friend with whom they were traveling. It was just before 3 a.m. Saturday when the three were on state Route 18, the man and woman on one bike and their friend, a 22-year-old man from Fredonia, on another. Both motorcycles were heading south when they collided and both crashed into a guardrail, according to a police report.
The man and woman were pronounced dead at the scene. Police reports say the second man fled on foot and called two friends, asking them to pick him up. The friends told police that they found him lying in a ditch off the same road where the accident happened. The friends said they took him back to their home and that when they woke up, he was gone.
The man called police the morning after the crash, but wouldn’t say where he was. Police said he also told them that he’d been home all night until the victims called and asked him to join them in going to a club, and that on the way there, the male victim ran his motorcycle into his. But his story didn’t add up. Witnesses reported seeing the three together at a bar earlier that night, and the paint on the rear of the victims’ bike showed the surviving man caused the crash. He was charged with two counts of homicide by vehicle, violations of driving an unregistered vehicle and driving under DUI suspension, among other offenses.
Although it hasn’t been proved this driver was intoxicated, he seems to have gone to considerable lengths to cover up his involvement in the crash. It’s not uncommon for defendants to try to hide the truth in order to avoid blame and penalties, whether in a criminal case or a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit, which this man might face if the victims’ families decide to pursue one. But an experienced personal injury lawyer can help ensure that the real facts come out and the victims or their families are sufficiently compensated.
Source: WYTV.com, “Update: Homicide Charges Filed in Greeville,” April 23, 2012