Springfield, MO : Motorcyclist in serious injuries after crash near South Park Avenue and Grand Street on Wednesday afternoon, August 24, 2016

A motorcyclist suffered life-threatening injuries Wednesday afternoon after he crashed into a sedan near the intersection of South Park Avenue and Grand Street, according to Springfield police.

The man was wearing a helmet, Lt. Stacey Parton said, but it was a "novelty" helmet that was not approved by the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Parton said the motorcyclist was taken to the hospital and that police were called to the scene at 3:39 p.m.

The two people in the white Chevrolet sedan were uninjured.

Martin Jones, the passenger in the sedan, said he and the driver were headed south on South Park Avenue to pick up the driver's daughter from work.

As they approached the intersection, a motorcyclist was turning right onto South Park Avenue but lost control of the bike, Jones said.

"The motorcycle was driving really driving him — he wasn't driving the motorcycle," Jones said.

The motorcyclist and sedan were about to have a head-on collision when the driver of the sedan swerved off the road, he said. According to Jones, the motorcycle crashed into the side of the sedan and flipped on top of the rider, pinning him to the ground.

Jones said he and some other men were able to lift the motorcycle off of the rider, who had gashes on his face and was bleeding.

Parton, the Springfield police lieutenant, endorsed Jones' account.

Source :
Motorcyclist in hospital with life-threatening injuries after crash, police say