Residents to our east in Havelock are mourning the death of a 45-year-old man who was fatally injured in a motorcycle accident at the end of last month. While the family of the former U.S. Marine tries to deal with his loss, officers from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol are continuing to piece together the events of that fateful day.
What police know at this time is that the 45-year-old Havelock man was attempting to merge from N.C. 55 onto U.S. 17 near Bridgeton when the motorcycle accident occurred. While travelling along the onramp, the man suddenly swerved and lost control of his Harley-Davidson, which then caused him to collide with a guardrail and was thrown from the bike.
When rescue crews arrived, they disovered his body approximately 30 feet from the bike in the woods near the highway. After sustaining life-threatening injuries, the man was airlifted to Vidant Medical Center in nearby Greenville. Unfortunately, despite the doctors’ best efforts, he later died from his injuries.
Investigators are now looking into possible causes and factors that would have led to the fatal accident. It’s not clear at this time what caused the man to lose control of the bike just prior to the crash. Officers will likely look into any mechanical failures or road conditions that may have applied. Police may also look into the possibility that there was another driver that could have caused the man to lose control of the motorcycle, though they have not released the details of the investigation at this time.
Source: Havelock News, “Havelock man dies in motorcycle crash,” Halifax Media, April 29, 2013
