Charlotte, North Carolina Motorcycle Crash Kills 51-Year-Old Motorcyclist
17-year-old Butler High School student Deion Walker has been charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle, failure to yield the right of way, and driving without a license in the Charlotte, North Carolina motorcycle accident death that claimed the life of Nathan Hartis. According to police, Walker was turning left onto Camp Stewart Road in his vehicle on Saturday when he hit Hartis, who was thrown several feet off his bike. The 51-year-old motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the Charlotte traffic crash site.
North Carolina Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle crashes often result in serious injuries for riders, whose protective clothing and helmet may not be enough to prevent spinal cord injuries, burn injuries, traumatic brain injuries, massive internal injuries, and death from occurring. Most motorcycle accident victims will suffer serious injuries during a crash. Motorcycle riders have a significantly higher risk of dying during a traffic crash than do vehicle occupants.
Common causes of motorcycle collisions:
• Driver error
• Failure to see motorcyclist
• Motorcyclist negligence
• Speeding
• Distracted driving
• Drugged driving
• Defective auto part
• Cars turning left
• Lane splitting
• A motorcycles crashing into a fixed object
• Road defects or hazards
It is a good idea to explore your legal options as soon as possible after a North Carolina motorcycle crash. At this point, evidence is still fresh and witnesses and those involved are more likely to remember the specifics of what happened.
While the number of US motorcycle deaths have gone down for the first time after 11-years of the fatality toll rising—there were 4,462 motorcycle accident deaths in 2009 compared to 5,312 in 2008, more can still be done to reduce the number of motorcyclist fatalities and injuries.
Fatal Motorcycle Wreck Shuts Down East Charlotte Road, WSOCTV, October 30, 2010
Butler football player off team after being charged in deadly motorcycle crash, WBTV, November 2, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Highlights of 2009 Motor Vehicle Crashes, NHTSA (PDF)
Motorcycle Accidents, Nolo
