Motorcycle driver in fatal Middletown crash identified

Middletown police have identified the driver of a motorcycle who died in a crash on Roosevelt Boulevard over the weekend.

Christopher C. Parshall, 42, of Middletown, was killed after a white sedan allegedly struck his motorcycle head-on.

The crash happened at about 2:10 p.m. Saturday at the intersection with Carolina Street. Parshall died at the scene, according to the Middletown Division of Police.

The male driver of the sedan that hit the motorcycle was treated at the scene, Sgt. Malcolm Tipton said. He said charges are pending and both speed and impairment are being investigated as possible causes for the crash.

Roosevelt Boulevard was closed in both directions for several hours after the crash while police, Ohio Highway Patrol and Butler County Sheriff’s Office Severe Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team investigated.

The owner of the home where this crash ended told Journal-News partner WCPO it was horrific.

“I come outside and see the car in the front yard and at first when I seen the bike, the Harley was mangled so bad, I really thought it was scrapped off of a truck,” Brian Nelson said. “As a guy who rides, that was really hard to see,” Nelson said.

This isn’t the first accident Roosevelt Boulevard has seen recently. Neighbors say most of them are caused by the same things officers are investigating for this crash: speed and impairment.

“I’ve seen people going by so fast you can’t even tell what kind of car they’ve got,” Nelson said.

This was one of three serious motorcycle crashes that occurred in the region over the weekend. Police on the scene of the crash in Madisonville in Hamilton County on Sunday told WCPO the motorcyclist involved lost control and hit a pole. He was transported to the hospital with injuries.

An accident in Addyston, also in Hamilton County, happened around 5:30 p.m. Sunday and shut down part of Three River Parkway for several hours. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s office said the motorcycle was on U.S. 50 and collided with a van that was making a left turn.

The 35-year-old motorcyclist was taken to the hospital and is in serious condition, but as of Monday afternoon was stable.

Some patrons at Route 50 Saloon witnessed the Addyston crash.

“The people out on the deck, they came in and said there’s a horrible wreck,” Jacob Allison, who was inside the saloon, said.

That’s how Allison found out about the crash.

“It’s always scary when you see a bike on the ground,” he said.

Allison rides a motorcycle too and said he’s had some close calls himself.

“Stop signs, red lights, intersections, turning. That’s usually about the most scary parts that you could deal with,” he said.

WCPO reporter Anna Azallion contributed to this report.

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