Allentown, PA : Motorcyclist killed in Lower Macungie crash on Wednesday evening, July 6, 2016

The motorcyclist killed Wednesday evening when his bike collided with a pickup truck in Lower Macungie Township was identified Thursday as a 27-year-old Bethlehem man.

Gerald R. Achey Jr. of the 1800 block of Levering Place was pronounced dead at the scene of the 7:25 p.m. crash on Brookside Road, Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim said.

An autopsy will be conducted Friday, Grim said.

Achey's grandmother, Judith Achey of Bethlehem, said he had been motorcycle riding for about a year.

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"He had a smaller motorcycle last year," she said. "This spring, he got a bigger one. He was going to go cross-country to visit his sister Brina in California."

The grandmother said Achey and his 20-year-old girlfriend were riding their motorcycles together when the accident happened.

Achey, who was going north, was tossed about 10 feet down an embankment in the 7:25 p.m. collision a half-mile north of Indian Creek Road, according to emergency radio reports.

The collision occurred as Achey and his girlfriend, also from Bethlehem, entered a curve in the road, just north of the Lower Macungie swimming pool and a small bridge over Swabia Creek, state police at Fogelsville said.

A 32-year-old Lansdale man, not yet identified, was rounding the curve in a pickup truck from the other direction, Trooper Stephen Florey said. The southbound pickup was halfway into the oncoming lane when it collided with Achey's motorcycle, Florey said.

The woman's motorcycle hit debris from the initial collision and slid into a guardrail, police said. The woman, whose name has not been released, suffered moderate injuries. The pickup driver had minor injuries.

Judith Achey said her grandson, who lived with her the last 10 years, is survived by a 6-year-old daughter, Ava. Judith Achey remembered him as an energetic young man.

"He was so much fun," she said. "And he worked hard. He was in construction. He did dry wall. He liked building things."

A graduate of Freedom High School, Achey had two sisters and five brothers, including stepsiblings, she said. His father and mother are Jerry Achey of Bethlehem and Karen Henriksen of Bath.

She said Achey's father is devastated by Gerald Achey's death.

"He's a mess," she said. "My granddaughter is over there with him right now."

Judith Achey said the loss is no easier for her.

"I'm in my 80s," she said. "I've been through death before. You never get over this kind of thing. You just move on."

Police said the crash remains under investigation.

Source :
Motorcyclist killed in Lower Macungie crash identified as Bethlehem man