One Motorcyclist Killed, Another Hospitalized in Crash with Drunk Driver
According to multiple media outlets, a passenger on a motorcycle is dead and the motorcycle driver injured after a drunk driver crashes head-on with them in Valparaiso, Indiana, on Saturday evening.
Details of the Fatal Collision
A 68-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman on a motorcycle traveled west on U.S. Highway 6 in Valparaiso at around 7:50 p.m. when the accident occurred. Police say Rachel Dover, 24, pulled onto the highway from County Road 550 East and into the path of the motorcyclists.
Multiple media sources report that Dover’s vehicle hit the motorcycle head-on. The 55-year-old woman sustained head and leg injuries in the crash and required an airlift to a nearby hospital. She was pronounced dead at the hospital at 11:26 p.m. local time.
The driver of the motorcycle suffered from head and foot injuries and was transported to a hospital in Valparaiso and later to a hospital in Gary. Media outlets report that neither motorcyclist wore a helmet during the collision.
Police charged Dover with operating while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury, operating while intoxicated, failure to yield to right of way, and refusal to submit a certified chemical test. In addition, a charge is pending for operating while intoxicated causing death, according to multiple media outlets.
Motorcycle Accident Statistics
The following information regarding motorcycle accidents is provided by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
- A total of 4,295 motorcyclists died in crashes in 2014.
- Motorcycle deaths accounted for 13 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths in 2014.
- In 2014, 36 percent of fatally injured motorcyclists were age 50 or older.
- Helmets are about 37 percent effective in preventing motorcycle deaths and about 67 percent effective in preventing brain injuries.
