Motorcyclists killed: N.J. man, 76, dies in Haverstraw crash; fatality on Bear Mountain Parkway in Cortlandt in Westchester New York

With cold temperatures just around the corner, avid motorcyclists enjoying the remnants of the driving season before storing their machines and hanging their helmets are still subject to the sobering accident statistics.
Sunday proved to be an especially costly day, with two fatalities — one in a crash on the Bear Mountain Parkway in Cortlandt in which several people were injured and the other in a crash on Route 9W in Haverstraw.In the latter, the 76-year-old victim’s adult daughter had been following him on a second Harley-Davidson, authorities said.
Head injury is the leading cause of death in motorcycle crashes. Helmets are estimated to be 37 percent effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcycle riders. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that helmets saved the lives of more than 1,600 motorcyclists in 2011.
In the case of Sunday’s accident in Haverstraw, however, a helmet was not enough to save the life of the 76-year-old North Bergen, N.J., man, whose name was not released.
He was driving north around 11:20 a.m. when he lost control of his Harley-Davidson Softail cruiser and slammed into a roadside sign and clock in front of Low Tor Storage at 120 Route 9W, Haverstraw police said.Witnesses said the man, who was wearing a helmet, hit the approximately 20-foot brick structure head-on. He suffered multiple head and internal injuries, and was later pronounced dead at Nyack Hospital.“He just drove into the wall,” said Jennifer Roberts, 22, of Haverstraw. “He, like, bounced and hit the floor.”Roberts said her mother and another man held the victim until police and paramedics arrived. At that point, he was passed out and bleeding profusely.“He didn’t look too good,” said Roberts, who was still visibly shaken.The northbound lane remained closed at the Westside Avenue intersection for about an hour after the accident as police examined the debris-strewn site.Police said the cause of the crash was under still investigation. Paramedics said it’s possible the victim suffered a medical crisis just before the crash.