One motorcyclist dead, another injured in crash on I-75

MADISON HEIGHTS — Police said two men were speeding down Interstate 75 in Madison Heights and weaving in and out of traffic when they struck a truck and wiped out, killing one and injuring another.

The incident occurred around 9:25 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, on northbound I-75 near 14 Mile. According to Lt. Michael Shaw, with the Michigan State Police, the motorcyclists were a 19-year-old man from Saginaw and a 20-year-old man from Swartz Creek.

The two riders were darting between other vehicles when both struck the rear passenger-side corner of a Chevrolet Silverado in the center left lane. Both operators were thrown from their motorcycles and landed on the right shoulder.

Shaw said that the Saginaw man was pronounced dead at the scene, while the Swartz Creek man was transported to a nearby hospital with multiple injuries. The driver of the Chevrolet, meanwhile, came to a controlled stop on the right shoulder and was unharmed.

The freeway was closed briefly for the investigation.

“We continue to see preventable traffic crashes caused by risky driving behaviors,” Shaw said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “As you can imagine, these behaviors are even worse on a motorcycle. Please ride safely.”

According to the MSP, half of all motorcycle fatalities in Michigan involve riders who are not properly licensed. State law requires a motorcycle endorsement on a driver’s license to legally ride a motorcycle on Michigan roadways. A violation is a misdemeanor that can result in points on your driving record and fines up to $300.

Protective gear, including helmets, can decrease the severity of injury or likelihood of death during a crash. A rider without a helmet is 40% more likely to die from a head injury and 15% more likely to suffer a nonfatal head injury than a rider with a helmet, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Protective gear can also provide comfort during inclement weather and help make the rider more visible to other motorists. The NHTSA says motorcycles are risky in general, noting that per vehicle mile, riders are about 30 times as likely as passenger car occupants to die in a traffic crash, and about five times as likely to be injured.

Thrill seekers who blow past speed limits only worsen the odds.

“Speed kills,” said Madison Heights Police Lt. David Koehler. “By traveling so fast, they’re on other drivers before those other drivers can even see or hear them. So imagine you’re a motorist trying to change lanes — you may look and the lane is clear, but a motorcycle traveling 120 miles per hour will be right on top of you before you can even see it. Especially on I-75 where there are some hilly areas that go up and down, and curves where you can’t see them coming around the corner. Again, speed kills.”