BELFAST, Maine — Police said that a Michigan woman injured Monday afternoon in a motorcycle-bicycle crash on Route 1 in Belfast was listed Tuesday morning in critical but stable condition at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
Susan Mathiau, 55, of St. Joseph, Mich., was riding behind her husband on their motorcycle when the crash occurred. She was initially taken to Waldo County General Hospital in Belfast but then was taken to Bangor by LifeFlight helicopter, according to Chief Michael McFadden of the Belfast Police Department.
Her husband, John Mathiau, 57, was in stable condition at the Belfast hospital Monday afternoon but was not listed as a patient there on Tuesday, according to a hospital official.
McFadden said police are not releasing the name of the 14-year-old girl from Belfast who was riding the bicycle because she is a minor. However, he said that she had received medical treatment for bumps, bruises and scrapes but was doing okay.
“She was very, very lucky,” he said.
The accident happened at about 1:30 p.m. Monday when the girl on the bicycle evidently began to make a left-hand turn from Route 1 onto Congress Street. According to police at the scene, witnesses saw her pull in front of the motorcycle.
John Mathiau, who was traveling in the same direction on Route 1, braked and unsuccessfully tried to avoid striking the bicycle, McFadden said, although he did manage to avoid directly hitting the girl. After the impact with the bicycle, Mathiau apparently lost control and crashed the motorcycle. Both he and his wife were wearing helmets.
McFadden said that the couple had been in Maine to attend a family reunion and has family in the area.
Very, very sad situation. Thoughts and prayers for the couple. Hope she pulls through.
wishing a speedy recovery for all involved.
People drive too fast through this intersection in Belfast. What’s the big hurry? Slow down!
Do you know they were going to fast?
Too fast…isn’t the speed limit 50 mph right there? Actually wouldn’t have mattered if they were going 20 mph if you collide with a bicycle. Bicycle riders also need to respect the rules of the road and realize that cars or motor vechicles of any type can’t stop on a dime.
The speed limit is 50mph there. Seems like in order to turn left onto Congress she must have tried to cross Rt1.
We can all speculate about what happened here and what could have been done to prevent it. I hope this lady has a full recovery very soon. A littlle research reveals a really disturbing fact. Motorcycle deaths among the 50 plus age group have increased 400 percent over the last decade or so. It seems that alot of couples are able to buy a nice Harley or Gold Wing when the kids are out of the house and on their own. NHTSA stats show one thing-riding a motorcycle is very dangerous today. These folks appear to have been doing everything more than right and still were involved in a terrible accident.
Motorcycles are dangerous, no question about it. As with all statistics though, the underlying causes can be a bit complex. People with no prior riding experience have no business buying a Harley or similar bike. They’re ,extremely heavy and awkward, difficult to get around corners, and difficult to rapidly change direction on if an evasive maneuver is required. Unfortunately, they seem to be the style of bike of choice for the vast majority of riders. Riding double is also much more difficult than solo riding and best left to experienced riders. Finally, the Harley culture dictates that most ride without a true helmet and a significant portion of the ridership is in a questionable state of mind a good deal of the time.
Note – I’m not applying any of this to this particular crash, just to the topic of motorcycle fatalities in general. I cracked a few ribs and broke my shoulder bone several years ago when a kid on a bike darted into the road in front of me – stuff happens.
Statistics show that riding a motorcycle is about four times as dangerous as riding in a car or riding a bicycle.
However, when done safely, it’s awfully fun.
It’s guys like me that are getting hurt or killed. I owned 15 bikes between 15 and 40, but none in the last 18 years. If I go out and buy a Big Harley, can I safely ride it with wife on the back -I doubt it. My reaction time is less and those coming at me may be texting or whatever. I’ll sstay in my Toyota Tundra-I’ll be safer and so will everyone driving around me.
How sad. And all because some parent insisted that it was OK for her 14 year old to ride a bike along the busiest summer road in Maine, route 1. Worse yet, others argue that it is their right to let children mingle with motorized vehicles going 50 + mph. Incredible!
The cyclist would have been fine if she had not apparently turned left from the right side of the road.
All drivers preparing for a left turn need to be in the center or left side of the lane.
“Witnesses saw her pull in front of the motorcycle” This is not the fault of the motorcycle couple but of the 14 year old. It is sad and tragic but the motorcycle is not to blame. If a bicycle is going to be on the road, they need to follow the same rules as other motorists. If you pull in front of someone, there is not guarantee they can avoid hitting you.
The motorcyclist is to blame. Why don’t you understand, motorcycles are not always seen, heard or perceived to be a traveling danger. Let’s go through this step by step. The girl needs to turn left onto Congress Street. She looks over he shoulder to see if any cars or trucks are coming. Her eyes receive the visual image and pass this image onto her cognitive brain. The brain answers back, no, there are no cars or trucks coming, go ahead and proceed, the coast is clear. How is it her fault, the answer was not complete? Which one of the 500 trillion brain synapses inside her head do you want to find at fault. Motorcycles are not the common vehicles, oncoming in intersections, and do get commonly ignored by those checking for a clear way, whether they are seen or not.
Let’s go through the biker’s processes, step by step. He is going south on 1, knowns the area, and sees the HUGE yellow intersection warning indicators, sees the girl on the bicycle, and can predict that a bike could, (1), continue on straight, (2), turn right onto the approaching road, (3) stop in her lane, or (4) turn left onto Congress. What danger is there for the motorcyclist, if options 1-3 are taken? What happens if option (4) happens? The rider would have to slow to a speed that would allow the speeding motorcycle to be able to avoid a slow moving bicycle turning left, and change lanes to create space and time. If he correctly guesses option 4, and prepares for the outcome, he avoids the predictable accident.
It is obvious the biker, did not do his due diligence. I have no idea why and it doesn’t matter why. He put the girls life in danger, and he is responsible for not correctly predicting a possible outcome and executing the proper actions that would eliminate the chance for a collision. Riding safely is about minimizing risks. Not being seen, is one of the easiest predictions, every rider is aware of. Failing to act on these predictions is no excuse.
My thoughts and prayers are with all those involved although I do hope people realize that, as tragic as this all is, there is still a traumatized 14 year old girl who is probably going through a lot trying to deal with what has happened both physically and emotionally.
My thoughts and prayers are with all those involved although I do hope people realize that, as tragic as this is, there is a traumatized 14 year old girl who is probably going through a lot right now (both physically and emotionally) trying to deal with all that is happening.