The 17-year-old girl, whom police declined to identify, was riding on the back of a motorcycle that collided with a Dodge Caravan at the intersection of Maynard and Three Rivers Roads, according to police.
WILBRAHAM — Police here are investigating the third serious motorcycle crash in about six weeks, but this time a rider got lucky compared with other recent crash victims.
On Monday night, following a pair of motorcycle deaths last month, a 17-year-old girl riding on the back of a bike driven by an unidentified male sustained serious injuries after a crash in North Wilbraham, according to Wilbraham Police Sgt. Robert Zollo. The extent of the girl's injuries were not immediately known, and an update on her condition was unavailable Tuesday morning.
Zollo said the 8:57 p.m. incident at the intersection of Maynard and Three Rivers roads is being investigated by officers Joseph Brewer and John Siniscalchi, the latter of whom is the police department's accident-reconstruction specialist.
The crash involved a 2002 Suzuki motorcycle and a 1999 Dodge Caravan, police said. The operator of the motorcycle was treated for minor injuries at the scene, but his teenage passenger was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield for treatment, police said.
A preliminary investigation revealed the motorcycle was traveling northeast on Maynard Road when it collided with the minivan, which was southbound on Three Rivers Road. Police said the motorcycle apparently was unable to stop when it reached the intersection of Three Rivers Road, colliding with the minivan. Charges are pending, according to police, who did not indicate whom might be cited in connection with the crash.
Zollo said more information would become available as the investigation progresses.
The sergeant cited the recent motorcycle crashes as reasons why motorists — both car drivers and two-wheel drivers — need to be aware of other operators. "It goes both ways," Zollo said, adding that bikers and drivers have to be more mindful of each other on the road.
Last month, two people died in motorcycle crashes in Wilbraham.
On April 12, John T. Lander, 46, of Hampden, was killed after a head-on collision with an oncoming SUV on Main Street near Merrill Road, police said. A few weeks later, Bradford R. Storozuk, 36, of Stafford Springs, Conn., died after a car on Boston Road pulled into his path of travel, police said. The driver of the car, Josephine T. Zucco, 75, of Ludlow, was charged with vehicular homicide and failure to yield for an approaching vehicle, police said.
In one instance, the driver of the car was determined to be at fault, while in the other it was the motorcyclist who was wrong, according to Zollo. "It takes two to tango, unfortunately," he said.
A preliminary investigation of the April 12 crash indicated Lander was riding southbound on Main Street when he entered the northbound lane and struck a Ford SUV, sending the motorcycle and Lander hurtling to the ground. Siniscalchi determined that the motorcycle had been traveling almost 100 miles per hour at the time of the crash.