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Ohio motorcycle crash fatalities down

Butler County’s number of bike fatalities also drops.

A Toyota truck heading East on Monroe Road lost control and slid into opposing traffic for unknown reasons and was struck by a motorcycle heading West, according to Lebanon Police officer John Wetzel, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011 in Lebanon, Ohio. The man on the motorcycle was flown by medical helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital and the woman driving the truck was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.

Nick Graham/Staff File Photo A Toyota truck heading East on Monroe Road lost control and slid into opposing traffic for unknown reasons and was struck by a motorcycle heading West, according to Lebanon Police officer John Wetzel, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011 in Lebanon, Ohio. The man on the motorcycle was flown by medical helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital and the woman driving the truck was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.

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A motorcycle is wedged underneath a Clark County Developmental Disabilities bus after colliding with the bus at the intersection of US 40 and Enon Road Thursday, June 16, 2011. The 29-year-old driver of the motorcycle was transported by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital with a head injury. Staff photo by Bill Lackey

Bill Lackey/Staff File Photo A motorcycle is wedged underneath a Clark County Developmental Disabilities bus after colliding with the bus at the intersection of US 40 and Enon Road Thursday, June 16, 2011. The 29-year-old driver of the motorcycle was transported by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital with a head injury. Staff photo by Bill Lackey

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Updated 9:20 PM Wednesday, October 12, 2011

By Hannah Poturalski

Staff Writer

Motorcycle crashes locally and statewide are down from past years, but area enthusiasts say those numbers could be lower if motorists paid more attention to their surroundings when driving.

Ricky Perkins, 26, of Middletown was killed in August after his motorcycle was hit by a 19-year-old woman crossing three lanes of traffic on Roosevelt Boulevard.

“He was real cautious about everything going on around him,” said Perkin’s sister, Amber Zinck. “If people would just look and listen for bikes it can be prevented; they aren’t quiet.”

Fatalities from motorcycle crashes have declined statewide this year, according to figures obtained by the Hamilton JournalNews. Since January, 120 people have died in fatal motorcycle crashes in Ohio — down from 158 during the same time in 2010, according to statistics from the Ohio Department of Public Safety. Two people have died in crashes in Butler County this year, versus six deaths in 2010.

Most recently, Melinda Hipsher, 35, of Franklin, died Sunday following a Friday motorcycle crash on Trenton-Franklin Road.

Scott Palmer of Madison Twp. said he witnessed the aftermath of Hipsher’s fatal accident. He’s contemplated buying a motorcycle for about 24 years but has been persuaded not to because of relatives injured in motorcycle crashes.

“I just don’t trust other motorists’ respect of bikers and quite honestly, I’m not sure I would even trust myself on a bike,” Palmer said. “Then there are other factors such as the current economy and having a family to be responsible for.”

Despite a lower number of crashes, both the state and Butler County have more residents receiving motorcycle endorsements on their driver’s licenses after proper testing.

In 2010, Butler County had 20,370 motorcycle endorsements, according to Lindsey Bohrer, public information officer for the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. That’s an increase from just more than 19,890 in 2009.

The state of Ohio has more than 711,000 motorcycle endorsements (permit stamp visible on a driver’s license) — up from 699,912 two years ago, according to Bohrer.

Zinck said Perkins was an avid motorcyclist with a large group of friends — she recalls the funeral procession including a quarter-mile of just motorcycles.

In 2009, less than 1 percent — or 15 — of the about 2,000 vehicle accidents in Middletown involved motorcycles, according to the Middletown Police Department’s most recent traffic crash analysis. An analysis of 2010 crashes has not been completed, said Lt. Leanne Hood. The biggest problem areas in Middletown include where Ohio 122 intersects with Cincinnati-Dayton Road and Towne Boulevard, said Lt. Walter Scott Reeve.

Butler County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Nutt said crash circumstances vary from speed, alcohol or carelessness. He said the county doesn’t have enough accidents to “constitute any trends.”

“They are kind of few and far between,” he said. “And they are either like a lay down or aren’t that life threatening or it’s pretty bad, there’s nothing really in between.”

Helmets not required

Zinck said while her brother wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time of his accident, he always wore one at night. Lt. John Nethers, Hamilton traffic commander, said Ohio does not require motorcyclists to wear helmets. He said the only drivers required to wear helmets are those under the age of 18 and all “novice” drivers having their motorcycle endorsement for less than one year.

Nethers said both drivers and passengers on motorcycles are required to wear protective eye gear, or have a windshield on the bike.

“There are so many accidents that would otherwise be minor but can be a fatality on a motorcycle,” Nethers said, who’s driven motorcycles since age 16 and patrols on the department’s motorcycle.

Erin Clifford of Fairfield said she strongly believes Ohio law should require helmets. In 1997, then at age 20, Clifford’s fiance Eddie Human Jr. was killed in a motorcycle crash on Wilmington Road in Lebanon. At the time, her son with Human was just 15-months-old.

“I don’t know if a helmet would have saved him but it could eliminate a lot of injuries,” Clifford said. “Driving a car is one thing but a motorcycle is a whole other level of responsibility.”

Greg Cover of Lebanon said he no longer drives motorcycles after being hit by a car in 2007 at the intersection of Ohio 63 and Ohio 741 — just five hours after buying the $20,000 motorcycle. Four years later, Cover still requires a wheelchair to get around for an extended period of time. He said his ankle is in constant pain and often goes out on him.

“People who drive with a (expletive) phone plugged in their ear and don’t look or pay attention,” Cover said, is one of the reasons he no longer rides.

“When you go up against a two-ton automobile you don’t have much of a chance,” Cover said, who has lost friends from motorcycle accidents.

Learning to ride a bike is key, says Greg Bratfish, director of the Fairfield Harley Owners Group. Although there are many levels of training for cycle riding, Bratfish said many people think they can just hop on a hog and ride. That’s not the case he said. Even experienced riders can benefit from training offered by the state, at places like Great Oaks Career Centers and his “hog chapter” presents courses annually.

“I believe a good amount of accidents could be prevented if people would take experienced rider courses,” he said. “You learn how to swerve and brake instead of panic, which is what happens most of the time.”

Staff Writer Denise G. Callahan contributed to this story.