Alarm Over Racing Motorcyclists in Virginia Beach After Five Deaths

Five biker deaths in the space of a week in Hampton Roads have raised concerns over racing motorcyclists in Virginia Beach. Four of the five deaths occurred in Virginia Beach. In all cases, speeding motorcyclists caused the deadly wrecks, according to police.

In Virginia Beach police charged a teen rider over a crash that killed two people on Thursday night near a busy intersection. Virginia Beach police say two vehicles, a Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle and Subaru Crosstrek SUV, were racing on Dam Neck Road around 10.50 p.m.

A Genuine Roughouse50 moped was traveling in the same east-bound lane as the Kawasaki. According to police reports, the Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle ran into the back of the moped, causing the rider to be thrown into a ditch.

The crash claimed the life of the moped rider and the Kawasaki rider who were pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

Police later charged the driver of the Subaru Crosstrek, who they accuse of racing the Kawasaki from the traffic signal at Harpers Road. That driver, a 17-year-old female, was charged with racing which resulted in the death of another and reckless driving. She is being held in juvenile detention center, police say.

Racing Motorcyclists in Virginia Beach Set a Deadly Trend

Thursday’s crash was a terrifying incident at high speed, according to police. Witnesses described smoke and flames at the wreck scene on Dam Neck Road. The accident raised alarm over racing motorcyclists in Virginia Beach. Four fatal crashes, three in Virginia Beach and one in Hampton, have been linked to high speed.

At 11.10 p.m. on Tuesday, police said a motorcyclist traveling at a high speed on Virginia Beach Boulevard in Virginia Beach struck a car making a left turn. The rider was killed and two people in the car sustained serious injuries. The motorcyclist was later identified as a 36-year-old woman from Virginia Beach.

Another rider died in Virginia Beach on Friday evening. Police say speed and alcohol may have been contributing factors to that tragedy.

The crash was reported in the 3400 block of Shore Drive, at the foot of the Lesner Bridge on the east side of the Lynnhaven Inlet shortly after 5:34 p.m.

An eyewitness told WAVY.com two motorcyclists accelerated west at a high speed when a red light turned to green.

Police say the trailing motorcyclist lost control and crossed into oncoming eastbound traffic. The rider was hit and killed by an SUV, according to the witness. His motorcycle traveled another 80 to 100 yards before crashing into another vehicle.

A witness told WAVY.com, the lead motorcyclist turned around to look at the wreck, before taking off down the road. No injuries were reported in the vehicles hit by the motorcycle.

These crashes have raised alarm over racing motorcyclists in Virginia Beach. The crash in Hampton was also caused by two riders traveling at a high speed.

Police said both motorcyclists were driving at high speeds on Big Bethel Road, heading south. Both bikers lost control and went off the road. They were thrown from their motorcycles and came to rest several yards away. One of the riders, a 21-year-old man from Norfolk, was killed at the scene while the other sustained injuries described as non-life-threatening.

Motorcyclist fatalities soared in Virginia in 2017 and 2018 appears to be on course to be another grim year.

Figures compiled by the Virginia Highway Safety Office and the Department of Motor Vehicles revealed there were 107 deaths on motorcycles in the Commonwealth last year, a 48 percent increase on the previous year. Speeding motorcyclists in Hampton Roads contributed to the death toll in our cities.

In recent weeks, we have seen a spate of fatal and serious motorcycle crashes in Hampton Roads. Typically, more motorcyclists lose their lives in the summer months when more riders are on the roads.

Evidence of riders and other drivers racing in Hampton Roads is extremely disturbing. If you or a loved one has been hit and hurt by a speeding driver or rider, please call our Virginia Beach motorcycle injury lawyers today for a free and confidential consultation at (757) 455-0077.