Motorcyclist killed in Millcreek crash ID'd as motorcycle fatalities rise in Erie County
A 43-year-old Erie resident is the latest person to die in a motorcycle accident in Erie County in 2023 as the number of motorcycle fatalities in the county has matched its highest level in the past 10 years, according to the Erie County Coroner's Office.
Coroner Lyell Cook identified the most recent victim as Justin Spicer. He was killed while driving his Honda motorcycle on Saturday night on Sterrettania Road in Millcreek Township.
Spicer's death is the eighth motorcycle fatality that the Coroner's Office has investigated so far this year, Cook said, matching the eight motorcycle deaths the office recorded for all of 2022. The number of motorcycle fatalities was five in 2021, three in 2020 and two in 2019, Cook said.
Cook said his office has investigated more than eight motorcycle deaths in past years, but the eight deaths is the highest for the office in about a decade. Cook said the reasons for the accidents vary, and include motorcycles hitting deer or losing control on gravel.
"There is no constant in any of them," Cook said.
In the latest crash, Millcreek police said officers were dispatched at 9:36 p.m. Saturday to a motor vehicle accident at Sterrettania Road and Thomas Road, according to a news release. Police said a Ford F-150 pickup struck a Honda motorcycle as the truck was attempting to turn left onto Thomas Road.
Police said the motorcycle was headed north on Sterrettania Road and the truck was headed south. Spicer was pronounced dead at the scene, Cook said. He said his office ruled the death accidental due to blunt force trauma.
The motorcycle struck the right front corner of the truck, said Millcreek police's traffic officer, Cpl. Matt Shollenberger, who is investigating the accident. He said he is waiting on the results of toxicology tests and other information to complete his probe.
Shollenberger asked witnesses to call him at 814-838-9515, ext. 546.
Another accident: Coroner identifies Erie motorcyclist, 35, who died after crashing into back of SUV
Contact Ed Palattella at epalattella@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNpalattella.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Motorcyclist killed in Millcreek ID'd as fatal crashes rise in county
