Teen dies in motorcycle accident on Paxton High School track

On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Motorcycle Accidents on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.

Late Friday night, a 19-year-old man from Laurel Hill was seriously injured in a single-vehiclemotorcycle accident on the running track at Paxton High School. Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries on Saturday evening.

According to information released last night by the Florida Highway Patrol, at around 11:35 p.m. on Friday night, April 22, the teen driver was racing a Suzuki motorcycle around the school track, which is normally used for track and field events. He lost control of the motorcycle as he was pulling out of the curve on the east end of the track, and he was ejected when the motorcycle overturned.

Both the young man and the bike skidded across the field, and both struck a brick wall. The young man was not wearing a helmet.

After the motorcycle accident, the teen rider was rushed to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. The hospital reported to the press that the young man died at 6:22 p.m. Saturday evening.

No information was provided about why the young man was riding his motorcycle late at night on the high school track. No indication was given that alcohol was a factor in the events.

NHTSA estimates that motorcycle helmets save nearly 2,000 lives every year

It’s simple physics: In an accident, motorcycle riders are less protected from injury than motorists in cars and trucks. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), per vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclists are approximately 37 times more likely to die in a crash than occupants of passenger cars, and 9 times more likely to sustain serious injuries.

NHTSA research shows that motorcycle helmets are 37 percent effective at preventing fatal injuries for riders and 41 percent effective for passengers. The agency estimates that if all motorcyclists wore helmets, nearly 850 fewer people would die in motorcycle accidents each year.

Please get the right motorcycle helmet and wear it every time you ride.

Source: Northwest Florida Daily News, “Teenager in high school track crash dies from injuries,” Mona Moore, April 25, 2011