A 26-year-old motorcyclist was found dead after crashing into a deer. The wreck went unnoticed until a Kent County worker found it during a routine drain check.
Watch For Motorcyles – it’s Bike Season
As a long-time rider, I understand what can happen while riding a motorcycle. I live in a rural community where there’s not a lot of traffic, and many folks assume no one is coming, and roll out and then look, when they should have looked both ways before they pulled out. Let’s not forget about the deer that can cross the road at any given time.
I have ridden my bike on U.S.131 several times, and witnessed people making lane changes without looking while riding, and while driving, seeing what happens to other riders. Everyone seems to be in a hurry, but in the warmer months, motorcycles are on the road to, and have a right to be there, and the right for drivers of other vehicles to be looking and listening for them.
There have already been several motorcycle accidents in West Michigan, and some have been fatal. The most recent crash was fatal, and no one knew it had happened until a county worker discovered the deceased rider and the crashed bike while checking drains for the county.
Fatal Motorcycle Crash Hidden by Grass in Kent County
According to WOOD, a Kent County employee with the drain commission was inspecting drains in Nelson Township, which is east of Sand Lake. On Monday, around 2 p.m., the worker discovered a dead body and a crashed motorcycle on 21 Mile Road.
Investigators believe the crash happened on Sunday afternoon or late evening, and that the 26-year-old Sand Lake man hit a deer and crashed into the ditch. There was tall grass in the area, and the rider of the bike was not visible from the road, which is why someone driving didn’t see the crash site to report it.
The crash is still under investigation…