Published: August 10, 2008 09:20 pm      

Motorcycle wrecks claim 2

ABINGDON, Va. — A Tazewell County man was pronounced dead at the scene of a motorcycle versus pickup truck accident Sunday afternoon in Washington County, Va., as state police in the two Virginias investigated at least three accidents involving motorcyclists.

Joshua Austin Smith, 21, of Raven, Va., died as a result of injuries he received when he failed to negotiate a curve on State Route 75, near Washington Park and crossed into the northbound lane of traffic where he struck a Ford F-150 pickup truck, according to the report of the accident filed by Trooper R.L. Edwards of the Virginia State Police.

Smith was riding a 2008 Yamaha motorcycle. The accident occurred at 1:38 p.m., according to Edwards’ report.

Earlier Sunday morning, a Florida man was pronounced dead at Wythe County Community Hospital after losing control of his motorcycle and running off the road to the right in the northbound lanes of I-81 at the 59 mile marker in Wythe County.

Walter Joseph Wolcott, 71, of Tampa, Fla., was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the report filed by Trooper J.T. Melvin.

The West Virginia State Police investigated a motorcycle accident that occurred at approximately 9:45 a.m., on Maple Acres Road, on the Green Valley side of the intersection of Maple Acres and Glenwood Park Road, according to Trooper R.A. Marsh of the Princeton Detachment of the West Virginia State Police.

A 40-year-old Mercer County man whose name was not released on Sunday afternoon, apparently did not realize that a curve was as sharp as it was, failed to negotiate the curve, made contact with a guard rail, rolled his motorcycle “several times” and stopped when he collided with a tree.

“He had gone through a training course with the motorcycle, but this was just his second or third time out,” Marsh said. The accident victim was transported to Princeton Community Hospital complaining of soreness in his arms and breathing problems, according to Marsh. “He is still in the hospital,” Marsh said late Sunday afternoon.

— Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com