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Motorcycle accident kills one
By Heather M. Goodwin, hgoodwin@acnpapers.com
A late-night drive through Lewisville ended the life of a Denton man.
At approximately 1:15 a.m. Saturday, police responded to a fatal motorcycle accident involving a 49-year-old Denton man. David Delano was driving his motorcycle on the northbound Interstate 35E service road. In the 600 block of N. I-35E frontage road, he lost control of the motorcycle.
"The man was killed in the crash. Lewisville police officers are investigating the accident," said Capt. Jay Powell. "We're still trying to figure out the cause of the accident and if any other vehicles were involved."
According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner, Delano's official time of death was 1:13 a.m. and the cause of death was blunt trauma of the chest.
"That's very typical in motorcycle accidents," Powell said. "His chest probably came in contact with the road or another object, and it killed him."
Powell said Delano was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Under Texas law, motorcycle occupants don't have to wear a helmet if they are at least 21 years old and have completed a motorcycle training course or have sufficient health insurance coverage that provides minimum benefits in the case of an accident. On June 19, 2009, Gov. Rick Perry signed into law SB 1967 of the 81st regular Legislative session. The law, which became effective on Sept. 1, repealed the helmet exemption sticker program.
The former law required a person to be covered with a minimum of $10,000 in health insurance for injuries incurred in a motorcycle accident to be eligible for an exception for the offense of operating or riding a motorcycle without a helmet. The new law removes that minimum amount. It also prohibits law enforcement from stopping or detaining a person who is the operator of or a passenger on a motorcycle for the sole purpose of determining whether the person has successfully completed a motorcycle operator training and safety course or is covered by a motorcycle health insurance plan.
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), the fatality rate from motorcycle accidents is more than four times that of car accidents.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
meankitty wrote on Nov 30, 2011 1:18 PM:
" Texray - I was thinking the same thing!! What in blazes does the helmet law have to do with a crushed chest?! Nice UN biased reporting there Ms. Goodwin. That was the first thing *I* learned when I got MY Journalism Degree. "
Suds wrote on Dec 2, 2011 4:03 PM:
" Ms Goodwin,
What NHTSA may have neglected to share in their TSDOT report is the statistics that show where motorcycle vs automobile crashes (not accidents) have decreased due to a greater effort in rider education and awareness campaigns. SB 1967 also mandates a greater motorcycle awarenss curriculum be taught in drivers education classes in the state of Texas. "
What NHTSA may have neglected to share in their TSDOT report is the statistics that show where motorcycle vs automobile crashes (not accidents) have decreased due to a greater effort in rider education and awareness campaigns. SB 1967 also mandates a greater motorcycle awarenss curriculum be taught in drivers education classes in the state of Texas. "
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Are we to assume that wearing a helmet would have prevented blunt trauma of the chest?
Also, do you report whether auto and truck drivers wear a helmet? "