YARMOUTH, Maine — A Yarmouth man is recovering at Maine Medical Center in Portland after a car collided with his motorcycle on Wednesday morning, police said.
Matthew Wasielewski, 49, was driving on North Road when a white Hyundai driven by Everett Eldred, 39, of Gorham attempted to turn onto North Road and struck Wasielewski’s bike, Yarmouth police Lt. Dean Perry said.
Wasielewski’s motorcycle had the right of way, Perry said, so Eldred, who was not injured, was summoned for failure to yield. The intersection has no stop or yield signs, according to Perry.
Wasielewski, who was wearing a helmet and proper motorcycle attire, was taken by ambulance to Maine Medical Center for treatment. Perry did not know the extent of his injuries.
“Wasielewski’s motorcycle had the right of way, Perry said, so Eldred, who was not injured, was summoned for failure to yield.”
I think you meant “Wasielewski had the right of way…”. Operators have the right of way, not vehicles.
Finally, someone is charged for hitting a motorcyclist with their vehicle. It’s usually a crime of negligence when that happens. Kudos to Yarmouth police.
right on man, got cha on the rebound with the bear paddling
A guy pulled out of a parking lot who “didn’t see” me gave me a T-bone sending me into a ditch. 35 years later, my foot still hurts when it rains and haven’t ridden since. These days, I could sue for PTSD.
Sorry for your experience, Escapee. Careless, distracted drivers kill or cripple thousands of motorcyclists with impunity. I don’t get it. Few of these situations are accidents. It’s negligence and carelessness – and there should be a law against it. What might otherwise be a traffic violation should be elevated to a crime in these things happens. You go to jail, pay fines, maybe lose a job if caught with a joint, and nothing happens if you take out a biker.
The worst part to me is seeing all those bikes every spring and being sooo jealous! :)
LOUD PIPES SAVES LIVES!
when will youse people learned??????!?!??!!?????%?^?^?????/
the driver of the car should lose his license permanently and
spend at least 15 years in jail
Windows closed with AC and radio on. Ya ain’t gonna hear loud pipes coming from the other direction (unless the bike is accelerating). People simply have to pay attention and use their eyes!
Generally the motorcyclist here is at fault for the accident and his own injury. Why, because, he did not take precautions that a driver entering an intersection, he was driving though, may not detect his hard to see bike. The failure to act by the motorcyclist, to slow to a speed that would allow him to avoid a collision from this type of common event, allowed the driver to violate his right of way. Why didn’t the rider, brake, swerve, and then blow a friendly kiss to the startled driver? Of course if the accident was avoided this way, the driver would be pissed that the biker snuck up to scare the hell out if him. Thus, the kiss gesture.
It would be the driver’s fault if he saw the bike and continued on, on purpose. It is very unlikely that the violation of the right of way was on purpose. Or can this purposeful act be easily proven. Motorcyclists’ who practice safe riding behavior, are not concerned who is at fault, if they are injured, or their equipment is wrecked, because they know it ultimately is their own failure to correct the inactions of others, if they are the ones who suffer the consequences. If you don’t like this paradigm, then don’t ride. If you want to ignore this truth, be prepared to be the next subject in a similar accident report. Ride like you are never seen, and you’ll have a better chance to survive. And, no, excessive noise (LOUD PIPES KILLS MOTORCYCLIST) operation does not replace smart riding.
Gerry…this clearly was an accident. It happened around the corner from me and the motorcyclist is a good friend. Here are some facts; Matt is one of the most conscientious riders that took all precautions and was always aware of his surroundings. While I was not there, it seems like he was cut off pretty abruptly. Was the driver of the other vehicle blinded by the sun or texting, I don’t know. The bottom line is that it’s an unfortunate accident. I know that Matt’s a great guy and the other driver may be as well. Simply put, accidents happen and we have to work through that. Matt has a long road to recovery and he’s fortunate to have family and friends to get him through. He’ll ride again.