VEAZIE, Maine — Despite initial concerns by emergency personnel that a Brewer man might lose his foot as the result of injuries suffered from a collision between the motorcycle he was riding and a car Sunday afternoon, he was listed in stable condition Monday evening.
“The operator of the motorcycle did have some serious injuries to his extremities, including a bad foot injury,” said Veazie Police Chief Mark Leonard. “But he was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center and they listed him in stable condition today.”
The motorcyclist, 42-year-old Daniel Irvine of Brewer, was driving toward Orono on U.S. Route 2 in Veazie when a 2011 Subaru driven by Richard Chase, 85, of Bucksport turned into his path at the intersection of Main Street at 3:25 p.m. Sunday.
“Apparently, Mr. Chase wasn’t familiar with the intersection and was looking to make a left turn onto Route 2. There is a lane to take a left turn before you get all the way into the intersection, but he missed that initial turn,” said Leonard. “He ended up taking a drastic left turn, which is almost about 90 degrees, instead and struck the oncoming cycle toward Orono.”
Leonard said Irvine attempted to avoid the car by driving his 2005 Suzuki around it, but was unsuccessful.
“There were no injuries to the car’s driver or passenger, Freida Chase, but there was about $2,000 in damage done to the front of the Subaru,” said Leonard. “The motorcycle was totaled.”
Leonard said a traffic citation was issued to Chase for failure to yield the right of way.
Wow all that and it is “Failing to yield right of way”
I’m a biker, and this sort of thing happens to me on occasion resulting in near misses. The exuse is usually “I didn’t see you”. How do you not see a 700 pound Harley touring bike with 3 headlights burning bright? I have actually seen the whites of peoples eyes when passing close by and they aren’t even looking.
I wish the rider all the best. I agree with you all the way. If a person can not see a motorcycle with the headlights on,they should have there licence taken away. I have to comment again.he must have had a helmet on,because BDN never mentioned anything about a helmet. They only say about helmets when a rider doesnt have one on. I think that is so wrong.
The bikes with the blinking headlights really stand out, should they be made mandatory?
We could have sparklers, flaming pin wheels and clown suits…an inconsiderate driver is still going to mis judge and cause an accident.
I have to say that is so true. I am so sorry,I dont believe for a second that people can not see the motorcycles. They just are ignorant to us because they are in a lot bigger vehicle
I had those on my last bike. It doesnt make a bit of difference. People are ignorant when they see blue lights coming.They wont pull over for police ambulance or fire. Tell me they cant see and hear that .
It happened in the middle of the afternoon, blinking lights wouldnt have helped. THe driver of the car clearly was not following the path of traffic. It notes that there is a place for the car to turn up ahead, this car was not following the road.
I think it is time for Mr. Chase to stop driving.
We went by shortly after this accident happened. Police were talking with the older couple, but the rider of the motorcycle had already been transported. Judging by the twisted mess that was left of the bike, I thought it might have been a fatal crash. Hope the biker has a speedy recovery.
Finally a police department that takes action against older drivers that use their age as an excuse!!!!! Great job Veazie!!! People talk about younger drivers and how they cause accidents, but we are always reading about older drivers causing accidents and getting no fines….yet younger drivers are getting stiffer fines!
A traffic citation? Ignorance is no defense under the law and I hope when Dan recovers he pursues the negligent driver in a court of law and recovers much more than his medical costs and replacement motorcycle. Definitely lost wages and pain and suffering — and I believe this driver should lose his license. Best wishes and prayers for Dan’s speedy recovery.
They are called “accidents” for a reason.
SORRY most of them are from being ignorant
Look once, then look again.
Speedy recovery to the biker.
Maine has the oldest population in the country with limited seasonal use of motorcycles-a recipe for disaster. I’ve owned 15 bikes over the years. With my nearly 60 year old eyes and 85 years old not seeing me-I’m all set. I’ll drive my 5000 Tundra.
It’s not that a driver can’t see a motorcyclist, but since the headlights are close together it is hard to get depth perception of a motorcycle to make better judgements. On that note I support bikes making noise, because people can hear them coming.
A car at night with one headlight can have a similar affect.
The motorcyclist is 100% at fault for his injuries. Riders who operate with a code of ethics in such a way to predict that left hand turning cars in adjacent intersections, or experience drivers who may be turning (with or without indicating the turn) left, are found to properly execute actions to minimize these collision risks. They slow to a speed that would allow a full stop if needed, and change lanes to create time and space. They use the small form factor of the motorcycle and it’s excellent acceleration capabilities to remove the chance of being hit, or avoid hitting a car. Experienced motorcyclists understand the majority of car/cycle collisions are a result of left-hand-turning cars. Therefore any car inside the immediate area of any intersection, represents a predictable collision to avoid. This rider’s excuse not to safe guard against the circumstances leading up to the unfortunate event, outweighs the drivers excuse for failing to give way to the cyclists.
Left hand turning drivers on the other hand, may not be cognitively aware of violating a motorcyclists right-of-way. Even if the driver “sees” the rider, and is staring into the direction of the approaching cycle, the perceived image sent to the brain may not be correctly processed into a conscious warning alert.
Motorcyclist hurt in these situations, have only themselves to blame. It is very unlikely the driver will be found guilty of any violation. It is a fact that motorcyclists are not always seen by thoughtful drivers leading up to these type of preventable events.