Sheriff urges safety as county sees three motorcycle crashes

With three potentially serious motorcycle crashes within a few hours Saturday, including one fatality, Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers asks that everyone slow down and be respectful of others on the road.

Just over an hour after the first and only fatal crash, rescue workers were called to a crash near West Lowell road and County Road North 250W at about 5:32 p.m. That accident involved a cyclist and a car. The motorcycle driver was wearing a helmet and no one was injured.

At 6:24 p.m. Saturday evening, there was a crash on State Road 58 and West Seymour Road during a group motorcycle ride. One of the bikers braked heavily in a turn, leading another bike behind that one to also brake hard to avoid the collision. Police say that the second driver opted to have a controlled crash rather than hit the bike ahead, which injured his shoulder. He was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital to be checked out. But the biker said that if he had not been wearing a helmet, he believes he would have been seriously injured.

Myers said that with fall weather, there are more motorcycles on the road. And there are more peoples on bicycles or walking and running in your neighborhood.