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A motorcyclist was killed in a recent St. Charles County multi-vehicle crash, authorities report. The accident took place Saturday, August 31st about an hour after midnight. According to a preliminary investigation of the accident, the 25-year-old was riding his motorcycle southbound on Mid Rivers Mall Drive. It appears as if he failed to yield at a red light, causing him to crash into a car. The impact caused the motorcyclist to be thrown from his bike. Emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle he hit was not injured.
Police believe that this motorcyclist may have been affiliated with “Ride of the Century,” a five-member St. Louis-based stunt riding organization. This was not the only motorcycle death over the weekend potentially linked with Ride of the Century. According to police, a 32-year-old motorcyclist was speeding while riding with a group of other riders at about 6 pm. An unmarked cop car was lying in wait, but the rider clipped the front of the vehicle while attempting to pass on the right. This initial impact wasn’t what stopped him; it was fleeing off of the highway and later striking a pole that led to this rider’s death.
Overall, St. Louis police say that they made 15 arrests and towed 25 motorcycles on the final day of Ride of the Century, which was last Sunday. Ten of those arrests were traffic-offense related while the other five were charges of operating stolen motorcycles. This year, police set up patrols specifically for Ride of the Century, as this event is notorious for being dangerous. Not all Ride of the Century cyclists are looking to do stunts and drive recklessly. One participant told reporters that “For every one of those guys out here doing stunts there are four times as many that are just here to ride.”
Because the riders killed in these accidents were allegedly driving recklessly and disobeying traffic laws at the time of the accident, they are considered at-fault for the accident. Although further investigation might reveal other potential contributing factors to the accidents, as it stands, the surviving family members of the deceased motorcyclists have no grounds for wrongful death lawsuits.
Wrongful death lawsuits can only be filed by surviving family members (dependents) of a deceased person who was killed by the negligent or careless actions of another, rather than their own negligent or careless actions. To learn more about liability in motorcycle accidents, you can speak with a St. Louis personal injury attorney at Fox Goldblatt & Singer PC. Our law firm fights for accident victims so that they can recover maximum financial compensation.