• 17
  • May
    2011

As we have previously reported, 4,376 people lost their lives in motorcycle accidents in 2010, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Late last week, a man in Grant County was lucky to avoid adding his name to the 2011 list.

The motorcyclist, who had stopped his bike in the medial strip of westbound U.S. 61/151 at Jimtown Road in Grant County, was injured when he struck the side of a passing semi-trailer last Tuesday morning.

The 21-year-old man, from Cuba City, apparently entered and exited an access area in the median. He then tried to pull out of the median before the semi was clear from the southbound side of the road. The motorcycle apparently then struck the trailer's side, according to sources.

The accident reportedly occurred near the Iowa state border, between Dickeyville and Dubuque, Iowa. Emergency personnel from the Grant County Sheriff's Department, Dickeyville paramedics and Jamestown fire crews responded.

The 57-year-old semi-trailer driver was reportedly not hurt in the crash. The police report says the motorcyclist was treated for injuries, none of them life-threatening. It was also reported that the motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

Even though the motorcyclist escaped serious injury, the crash illustrates the importance of always wearing a helmet. If the motorcycle and semi had collided at a different angle, the motorcyclist's injuries might have been more severe.

With improved weather and increased gas prices, more motorcyclists will be hitting the roads. Please remember to keep an eye out for them.

Source: The Capital Times, "Motorcyclist hurt in crash with semi in Grant County," Bill Novak, 10 May 2011