HARRODSBURG — A Danville man was killed Thursday evening when his motorcycle drifted across the centerline and struck another vehicle in the curvy section of U.S. 68 in the Palisades area of Mercer County.
Gary Lewis, 55, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash about 6 p.m. by Mercer County Deputy Coroner Scott Moseley.
“A nurse was there and administered aid but to no avail,” Moseley said.
According to witnesses, Lewis was headed west on U.S. 68 when he “floated” into oncoming traffic as he rounded Chinn’s Curve, Moseley said.
The unidentified driver of an eastbound pickup truck saw Lewis approaching and got over to the point of nearly rubbing the guardrail in an attempt to avoid the collision, but when Lewis hit his brakes, the rear of the bike fishtailed into the front end of the pickup, Moseley said.
Lewis then went under his bike, hitting his head on the pavement.
He was not wearing a helmet. The cause of death was massive head trauma, Moseley said.
Excessive speed did not appear to be a factor in the crash, and there was no evidence that drugs or alcohol were involved, Moseley said.
“A thousand times a day that happens when someone floats over the centerline and nothing happens, but this one time a truck happened to be right there,” Moseley said.
