Motorcyclist pays the ultimate price on the GW Parkway

A motorcycle accident on Memorial Day claimed the life of a military man stationed at Fort Belvoir, when he lost control of his motorcycle and it plunged over an embankment on the GW Parkway.  Tragically, the victim had already survived a near-fatal accident a year earlier, when he was seriously injured after rear-ending a van that pulled out in front of him.

The victim’s father was quoted as saying that "those sports bikes are just too powerful.  They're too much for anybody to be on the road on. They should only be for racetracks."  This sentiment is echoed by others who have called for restrictions on the power and speed of powerful sport-bikes, also know as super-bikes, which are built on a racing platform but are sold for consumer use.

Some of these sport bikes can be bought with up to 200 horsepower engines, meaning the ride can be exhilarating for an experienced biker – or deadly for an inexperienced rider.  However, the rider who lost his life Memorial Day was far from an inexperienced rider.  It remains to be seen what caused the accident that took his life.

More information about motorcycle safety can be found in our law library:  Motorcyclists – How to Protect Yourself on the Road and Are Motorcycles Getting Deadlier?