Alexandra RiveraOn Friday, May 31, one person died and one person was seriously injured after two separate motorcycle crashes Friday in Putnam County. There appears to be an uptick in motorcycle crashes on area roadways in the last couple of weeks.
Nationally, over 6,000 motorcyclists were killed in crashes nationwide in 2022, the highest number since 1975, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and released by AAA.
Kartik Prabhakaran is head of Westchester Medical Center’s Level 1 trauma center, the only one of its kind in the Hudson Valley. He said motorcycle accidents tend to happen more frequently from Memorial Day to Labor Day, as more vehicles tend to be on the road during that time.
Why do more motorcycle crashes tend to happen in late Spring?
“The same reasons why it’s a beautiful place to ride a motorcycle also present certain dangers unique to this area in terms of high traffic on highways and freeways, the windy roads and the scenery and greenery that can affect visibility,” Prabhakaran said.
Putnam Sheriff Kevin McConville said in a news release that a motorcycle operated by Peter Leist, 62, of Denville, New Jersey, was traveling westbound on Route 301, west of Gypsy Trail Road in Carmel, and had passed several vehicles by crossing the double yellow lines when he collided with a bus around 2:10 p.m. Leist was pronounced dead at the scene.
Prabhakaran said the WMC trauma unit admits over 100 patients injured from motorcycle accidents each year, but sees and treats many more that are not as severely injured.
“The injuries that we see range the entire spectrum of the different body parts that can be injured,” Prabhakaran said. “We see traumatic brain injuries, we see internal organ injuries, we see orthopedic injuries in the form of broken bones and pelvic injuries and absolutely they can be life threatening.”
Later in the day on May 31, police responded to another crash between a motorcycle and a vehicle around 6:50 p.m. on Route 22 near Sodom Road in Southeast. An investigation revealed that Christine Bueti, 52, of Katonah, was making a left turn out of a restaurant driveway and was headed southbound when her vehicle was struck by a motorcycle, operated by Marvin Espanaventura, 22, headed in the opposite direction.
McConville said Espanaventura was brought to Danbury Hospital in serious condition by Brewster Ambulance. Bueti was arrested at the scene and was charged with driving while intoxicated. She was also issued a ticket for failing to yield the right of way when making a left turn. She is expected to appear in the Town of Southeast Court at a later date.
Espanaventura was also issued tickets for operating a motorcycle without a proper license, operating without insurance, operating an unregistered vehicle and operating without an inspection certificate.
Medical center held based on motorcycle safety
On Sunday, WMC Health and The Biker Foundation of the Hudson Valley Biker Network held a free motorcycle and ATV awareness seminar at the Taylor Care Pavilion. Experts in both the medical and motor vehicle fields provided information on how to reduce the chance of accidents and fatalities on the road with these vehicles.
Are more people in the Hudson Valley riding motorcycles? It seems that way
Prabhakaran, who has been working in trauma surgery for the last twenty years, said that while no major patterns have been seen for causes of motorcycle accidents, he has seen a rise motorcycle and motor bike use, especially in different age groups like older people and adolescents.
“We have an increasingly active older population of adults that also choose to ride, and we have a lot more young riders as well, especially with the development of newer types of bikes that adolescents and younger adults choose to ride for recreation.”
In February, a Stony Point teenager was killed when he collided with a snowplow while riding a motor bike on a residential road. Stony Point Police Department said the town had seen an increase in teenagers riding such vehicles on town and state routes, which is illegal in the state.
Prabhakaran said it’s important for both motorcyclists and other vehicle drivers to understand the mechanics of each vehicle and be mindful of sharing the road.
“Motorcycles often times can fit into much narrower spaces and riders are not protected entirely by a completely enclosed environment. Many of the safety features that exist in motor vehicles like seatbelts, warning signs and signals that cars and other motor vehicles are equipped with, do not always exist with motorcycles,” he said.
How can motorcyclists share the road safely?
“I think this presents an opportunity for awareness on both sides for motor vehicles to use the technology we have in 2024 with respect to blind spots and other mechanisms, and for motorcycles to understand that motor vehicles do sometimes make unexpected turns and to anticipate that when they approach intersections or windy roads, that they need to be aware of what potentially lies ahead or what they can’t see.”
Prabhakaran said preventative measures, treatment and the recovery process are important parts of treating trauma patients, especially involving a motor vehicle accident.
“Trying to prevent injuries before they occur, taking care of patients at their most vulnerable time when they’re seriously injured, helping them to rehabilitate their injuries and reintegrate back into their communities with their families, as well as reuniting with them periodically and maintaining that relationship so that we can continue to be inspired by their stories, I would say, represents the entire spectrum of what we do and aim to do,” he said.