motorcycle accident

On Saturday afternoon, April 2, 2010 Thomas Shankle was riding his motorcycle east on Route 68 in Monroe.  A minivan traveling in front of Mr. Shankle was stopped on Route 68 waiting to turn into a driveway.  Mr. Shankle slowed down to wait for the minivan to turn.  The driver traveling behind Mr. Shankle, Ms. Lauer, did not slow down and slammed into Mr. Shankle’s motorcycle.

The accident threw Thomas Shankle from his motorcycle.  The motorcycle was trapped between Ms. Lauer’s car and the minivan.  Mr. Shankle was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident but he died as a result of his injuries.  Thomas Shankle was 45 years old and a resident of Worthington, in Armstrong County.

Police are still reconstructing the accident and have announced that charges may be filed against Ms. Lauer because, at this time, this tragic accident seems to have been caused by driver error.

On Saturday afternoon, Leon Travers was riding his motorcycle southbound on North Main Street in Shrewsbury Township, York County, Pennsylvania when a pickup truck pulled out of a business along Main Street and Travers crashed into the side of the truck.  The accident happened at approximately 12:13 pm.

Leon Travers, of Mt. Wolf, was 16 years old. He was a junior at Northeastern High School where he was part of the wrestling team.

News reports indicate that Travers was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident but it may have been knocked loose during the accident.  He was taken by ambulance to York Hospital with multiple blunt force trauma injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital at approximately 12:38 pm – less than one half hour after the accident.

An autopsy was scheduled for yesterday and state police are still investigating the cause of the accident.