Lewiston police and investigators with the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office Accident Investigations Unit are probing the cause of a crash that killed a motorcyclist Wednesday afternoon.
Investigators said a southbound tractor-trailer, belonging to Buffalo Fuel Corp, was merging from Creek Road Extension onto Lewiston Road at about 2:45 p.m. when it struck the motorcyclist who was also traveling southbound. Lewiston Police Chief Frank Previte said the motorcycle rider who was struck was traveling with a second motorcyclist, one in front of the other.
Witnesses told investigators that they saw the motorcyclist make contact with the tractor-trailer on Lewiston Road just north of Mountain View Drive. The motorcycle and rider became entangled with the truck and were dragged along the roadway. The operator of the truck continued to drive.
The body of the motorcyclist was found at Fort Gray Drive, about a half mile from where he was struck by the truck. His motorcycle was located on the on-ramp to the Upper Mountain Road overpass, almost another half mile from where the victim’s body was found.
Lewiston police responded to the crash site for a report of “a motorcyclist down in the roadway” and EMTs with Upper Mountain Fire Company’s ambulance pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
Police said the name of the victim, who is not from the area, is being withheld pending notification of his family,
Officers who responded to the crash said they were able to locate the truck and its driver and that the driver is cooperating with the investigation.
Lewiston Road, from Center Street to the I-190, was closed for several hours while accident and crime scene investigators processed the scene.