A motorcyclist was injured late Friday, marking the
third serious motorcycle crash in the region in as many days.
Shortly before 11 p.m., a sport utility vehicle and
motorcycle collided on Thurston Road at Flanders Street in Rochester, according
to the Rochester Police Department. The SUV was southbound and struck a
motorcycle while turning into a parking lot near the intersection.
The motorcyclist, who was not identified by police,
was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital for treatment, officers said. The
motorcyclist's medical status was not available.
The crash comes just two days after two men were
killed in motorcycle crashes throughout the Rochester region.
On Thursday evening, Thomas R. Mincer, 28, of
Clifton Springs, Ontario County, died
in a motorcycle crash in Mendon. He was cresting a hill on Boughton Hill
Road when he struck a deer. Mincer was thrown from his motorcycle.
Early Thursday morning, Kevin Lockwood, 28, of
Ithaca died in a motorcycle crash
in Covert, Seneca County. He failed to negotiate a curve on Route 96,
drove off the road and struck a road sign and some trees before coming to rest
in the yard of a residence.
Both Mincer and Lockwood were pronounced dead at the
scene.
With warmer weather comes the increase of
motorcyclists on area roadways, which means all drivers need to remain alert
and aware while driving, said Monroe County Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn.
He suggested all drivers look twice before acting to
prevent violating the right of way of others on the road — a motorist, a
motorcyclist, cyclist or pedestrian. Because motorcycles are smaller than other
vehicles, other drivers often have trouble seeing them and reacting in time.
While everyone needs to obey traffic laws, share the
road and practice defensive driving techniques, motorcyclists can also
wear bright clothing, operate headlights both day and night, pay extra
attention when in another driver's blind spot and keep ample distance from
others on the road, according to motorcycle
safety tips on Monroe County's website.
There were 4,750 motorcycle crashes in New
York 2014, the most recent data available from the state Department of
Motor Vehicles. Of that number, 142 were fatal.
Nationwide, 4,976 people died in motorcycle crashes
in 2015 — an 8 percent increase from 2014, according to the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Across the nation, there were 8.6 million
motorcycles on the road in 2015. According to the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, motorcyclists are nearly 27 times as
likely as passenger car occupants to die in a crash per vehicle mile traveled,
and six times as likely to be injured.
Last June, motorcycle season also started off
with three separate motorcycle fatalities in the span of a week, including the June 1, 2016
death of a22-year-old Ogden man. According
to police, he ran a red light, was struck by a car and launched off the
Manitou Road overpass onto Route 531, where he was struck by another vehicle.
Ron Hinz, who leads the motorcycle safety training
course at Monroe Community College, said safety training helps prevent such
accidents. He explained that with training, motorcyclists are better prepared
to anticipate, to react to and avoid a potential crash.
Source: democratandchronicle.com
