McHenry, IL : 35-year-old man died after motorcycle collided with a guardrail on River Road on Sunday night, April 24, 2016

A 35-year-old McHenry man died late Sunday after his motorcycle collided with a guardrail on River Road, police said.

Merrick M. Gehrke was driving a 2003 Harley Davidson XL883C south on River Road near Black Partridge Road when, for unknown reasons, his motorcycle left the west side of the road, according to a news release from the McHenry County Sheriff's Office. Gehrke was thrown from the motorcycle when it struck the guardrail, police said.

McHenry Township Fire Protection District crews responded to the crash about 11:30 p.m., Battalion Chief David Harwood said. When crews arrived, they found a male motorcyclist near the guardrail.

Gehrke was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:53 p.m., McHenry County Coroner Anne Majewski said.

Gehrke was not wearing a helmet, police said. He was the only rider of the motorcycle.

The McHenry County Sheriff's Traffic Crash Investigations Unit and the McHenry County Coroner's Office continue to investigate the crash.

Police closed River Road for nearly five hours as they investigated overnight.

Source :
Police ID McHenry man killed in motorcycle crash