Two people from Dalton, Georgia were killed in an accident when a pickup truck sideswiped their motorcycle.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the crash occurred on highway 225 south in Murray County.Apparently, a Ford Ranger crossed the centerline for unknown reasons, and struck the motorcycle. The two riders, 39-year-old Ty Woods and 29-year-old April Lynthlin were ejected from the motorcycle, and sustained fatal injuries. According to reports, Lynthlin was in an advanced state of pregnancy. The State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team has initiated an investigation.
This tragic accident coincides with the release of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s report on traffic fatalities for 2008. The numbers for last year have been very encouraging all round, except in one category- motorcycle accident fatalities. For the 11th year running, motorcycle accident-related deaths have shown a sharp rise. In fact, deaths in motorcycle accidents now comprise 14 percent of the highway fatality rate in the country. These rates have risen even as there has been an overall drop in the number of automobiles on the highways, because of the recession and the hike in gas prices that we saw last summer. While the number of automobiles traveling our roads has dropped, collisions involving motorcycles have increased.
One reason for this spike could be the rising rates of motorcycle usage. According to data from the past decade, motorcycle registration rates have risen substantially. With more riders preferring to zoom around on their motorcycles, the likelihood of accidents involving these accidents have also increased. Besides, there has been a sharp rise in the number of middle-aged motorcycle riders involved in accidents.That is directly linked to the large number of riders from this age group. While these motorcyclists may be enthused about the freedom and exhilaration that zipping around on a motorbike brings, they may fail to understand that the motorcycles of today are not the motorcycles of yesterday. These modern machines pack more power, and can be difficult to handle for someone who hasn’t been on a bike in years.
The motorcycle accident attorneys at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent victims who have been injured in motorcycle accidents in Atlanta, and across Georgia.