Galax,VI : Motorcycle rider dies in Carroll crash on June, Friday 2nd 2017

A Radford man was killed in a motorcycle accident in Carroll County over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.


According to a news release from the Virginia State Police, there were six traffic fatalities over the weekend and four of those were motorcycle crashes.

State Trooper J.D. Delp reported that authorities were dispatched to an accident at 4492 Danville Pike (U.S. 58) at 12:10 p.m. The accident occurred at the intersection of Danville Pike and Route 673 (Pilgrims Trail), about three miles outside the Town of Hillsville.

According to Delp, a 2004 GMC Envoy, driven by Lee James Schrader, 64, of Greensboro, N.C., was stopped in the eastbound lane of 58 to make a left turn onto Pilgrims Trail.

While Schrader’s vehicle was stopped to wait for a clear path to cross the roadway, a 2011 Suzuki motorcycle came down a hill, around a curve and struck the rear of the Envoy.

The driver of the motorcycle, Terry Lane Whittaker, 66, of Radford, was ejected off the motorcycle as a result of the collision, said Delp. Whittaker was pronounced dead at the scene.

Delp estimated damages to the Envoy at $3,000 and the motorcycle was a total loss.

In addition to the Virginia State Police, Carroll County Fire and Rescue and the Hillsville Volunteer Fire Department assisted on the scene.

Drugs or alcohol were not considered factors in the accident and Whittaker was wearing a helmet. Of the four fatal motorcycle crashes across the state, two of those motorcyclists were not wearing helmets, state police reported.

Virginia State Police said in the news release that the amount of motorcycle fatalities was “particularly poignant as May is Motorcycle Safety Month.”

Of the 652 traffic crashes statewide over the four-day statistical counting period of Memorial Day weekend, seven drivers in six crashes lost their lives. This number is down by one from 2016, when the holiday weekend claimed the lives of eight people on Virginia highways.

“The number of traffic deaths on Virginia’s roadways continues to decrease, down 50 percent since 2015; however, even one fatality is too many, especially when taking basic safety precautions can save a life,” said Col. W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police superintendent.

“We’re asking motorists to make sure they put safety first before they hit the road this summer. Buckle up, put on a helmet, eliminate distractions, put the phone down and never drive drunk or drugged,” Flaherty said. “These things could make the difference in surviving or avoiding a crash all together.”



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Motorcycle rider dies in Carroll crash