DWI Motorcycle Accident Kills One in Charlotte

One woman was killed in a motorcycle accident that happened in Charlotte.

Details about the Fatal Motorcycle Accident

WBT News is reporting that a motorcycle accident that happened on Wednesday morning killed one woman and left another person with minor injuries. The CMPD has stated that they responded to the scene of the accident, which happened near East independence Boulevard at about 2:30 a.m. in the morning.

William Short was riding a 2016 Cam Am Spyder Motorcycle, and Traci Gagnon was his passenger. According to police, Short was driving at a high rate of speed when he hit a vehicle in the rear, which caused Short to lose control of the vehicle and skid. Both of the people on the motorcycle were ejected from the vehicle.

Gagnon was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident; she was not wearing a helmet. Short was taken to the Carolinas Medical Center with minor injuries. Short has since been charged with involuntary manslaughter, driving while intoxicated, and felony death by motor vehicle.

Important Information about Motorcycle Accidents

According to information from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there are thousands of wrongful deaths of people involved in motorcycle accidents every year in the United States:

• In 2014, there were a total of 4,295 motorcyclists who were killed in motor vehicle accident in the United States.
• Taking into consideration the number of miles travelled, the number of fatalities on motorcycle accidents was 26 times higher that the number of fatalities in motor vehicle accidents.
• Motorcycle helmets have been proven to be about 37 percent effective in preventing motorcycle accident fatalities.