Time: Around 1:30 P.M.
Location: Juneau, Alaska
Vehicle(s) Involved: Motorcycle, Subaru Outback
By Emily Russo Miller - Juneau Empire
"A motorcyclist died after crashing into a car on Egan Drive and West 12th Street at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The wreckage seen from the street indicated that the 2001 red and black Honda motorcycle was traveling on Egan Drive outbound and collided with a 2001 Subaru Outback that was turning left onto West 12th Street from Egan Drive inbound. Police confirmed that in a release Tuesday night.
Lt. David Campbell said in the release that a witness reported the motorcycle slowed down temporarily, but then sped up suddenly to try to pass the Subaru. Instead, the motorcyclist struck the Subaru’s front passenger side fender and was ejected from his bike, the release states. Paramedics declared him dead at the scene.
Police identified him as 27-year-old Larry Brandon Blatnick Jr. Next of kin has been notified.
The driver of the Subaru, whom police identified as 41-year-old Laura Hosey, was OK, according to her mother and sister, who were at the scene. Medics evaluated her on site and determined she didn’t need to go to the hospital, although she was shaken up, they said.
Police said Hosey did not display any signs of intoxication.
Responding police officers covered up the body lying on the sidewalk with teal and grey blankets and stood guard over him. A detective later spray-painted an outline of his form and took pictures for evidence.
Motorists driving past the accident craned their neck to see what was left of the motorcycle. An upside-down sneaker lay in the road, a red helmet on the grass near the sidewalk.
The left turn signal of the Subaru was still blinking. The front passenger door and the right portion of the front bumper was bashed in.
Police comforted a woman in white tank top and denim skirt who began crying hysterically when she frantically dashed to the scene from her van. She collapsed onto the pavement in tears, and a police officer crouched next to her and spoke with her.
A younger woman standing beside her later identified her as the girlfriend of the motorcyclist.
Immediately after the crash, a small group of people watched the aftermath from across the street at Harris Harbor.
Two tourists from Canada on the Celebrity Millennium cruise line were among those in the crowd, and said they were in the area when they heard a ‘boom’ and turned around to see what happened.
They watched as two men from a white Prindles Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Services van jumped into action and ran towards the accident that happened right in front of them.
“They tried to help him,” Ming Zhang, 50, said. “The ambulance came fast, maybe three to five minutes,” she added.
Police set up a perimeter around the wreckage with orange flares and yellow police tape, and redirected traffic around the accident. Traffic was shut between West 10th Street and Highland Drive down for about 3 1/2 hours.
Police say the investigation is ongoing."
Source
