Motorcyclist Crashes, Has Bike Stolen from Accident Scene
Motorcycle-riding thieves reportedly loaded crashed bike into a pickup bed while its owner lay on the side of the road.
We’ve seen some truly outrageous things surface in the news, and we are hoping this tragic scenario is not the beginning of another twisted trend, because the sickening and bizarre aftermath of a recent fatal motorcycle crash in Michigan has us scratching our heads and shaking our fists in anger. Last Saturday in Detroit, a motorcyclist lost control of his bike and struck a light pole while reportedly traveling at a high rate of speed in the southwest part of the city.
The rider died from the collision, but what happened next is even more shocking and upsetting. Three men on Harley-Davidsons rode up to the accident scene, and, ignoring the fallen rider on the side of the road, they loaded the crashed motorcycle into the back of a white Ford F-150 pickup and rode away.
The story comes to us from The Detroit News. The accident apparently happened around 11:25 p.m. near the intersection of South Fort Street and Schaefer Highway. That area is near an entrance ramp for Interstate 75, known locally as the Fisher Freeway. Unfortunately, that means that a quick getaway was possible.
Police are looking for the thieves, but, at this time, they don’t have much in the way of leads. Police want the bike in order to complete their crash investigation, according to The Detroit News‘ report.
WXYZ Detroit has reported that the motorcyclist that lost his life in the accident was 22-year-old Michael Blackwell. Friends described Blackwell as bright, outgoing, and good-hearted. He was a mechanic who worked on all matter of vehicles.
A GoFundMe has been set up to assist with Blackwell’s funeral expenses. Friends say that the men who took the bike might have been other friends of Blackwell’s, who took the bike to keep it from being impounded by police. Police would still like to see the bike and speak with the riders who removed it from the scene.
We like to think of the Harley-Davidson community as an extended family. It upsets us to learn that someone would ignore an injured or dead motorcyclist to commit a crime of opportunity. We hope that’s not what happened.
Sadly, bad things do happen, and, yes, some bad people do ride motorcycles. It’s up to us to show the world, once again, that a few bad apples does not represent our community.
If you have any tips, information, of whereabouts of the stolen motorcycle, you should contact the Detroit Police.
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