Speed not factor in cycle crash

NORTH CANAAN — A crash involving a car and a motorcycle on Route 44 ended with two people hospitalized Saturday, July 24; one of them was airlifted to Hartford Hospital by a Life- Star helicopter.

Margaret Cser, 78, of Southfield, Mass., was driving west on Route 44 at about 2 p.m. when she attempted to turn left onto Lower Road. Derek Bronson, 27, of Morris was traveling east on a motorcycle.

Bronson’s 2008 Harley Davidson hit the right rear portion of Cser’s 2002 Volkswagen Jetta as it turned in front of him.

Bronson suffered serious arm and leg injuries. A helicopter was on standby because of the race that afternoon at Lime Rock Park. It was on the scene in minutes, landing in a nearby hayfield while North Canaan Volunteer Ambulance responders prepared Bronson to be flown to Hartford.

He was conscious when the first responders came to his aid, and he told them he knew his leg was broken.

A passenger in the Jetta, Beverly King of North Canaan, was treated on the scene for an arm injury, and taken to the hospital for evaluation.

State police were still investigating at press time. The speed of the motorcycle is an issue. Troopers were unable to find anyone at the scene who witnessed the crash.

The line-of-sight there, with westbound drivers coming up a rise, doesn’t allow motorists to easily see eastbound vehicles until they are very close to the intersection. Eastbound drivers who are exceeding the speed limit reduce the time a westbound driver has to turn safely.

People on the scene who heard the crash and saw what came afterward speculated that Bronson had been traveling at a high rate of speed.

He fell or was thrown from his bike as a result of the crash, and landed on Route 44 just east of Lower Road.

Ceil Ralph, who lives several houses farther east, said she looked out her front window in time to see a motorcycle traveling down the road without a rider.

It continued on for another two or three lots before crossing the road and traveling well up the steep slope of a front yard before coming to rest.

Investigating Trooper Nicholas Nigro said speed was not a contributing factor.