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General Banter / Re: Crashes Reported in the Media
« on: March 12, 2014, 05:04:30 PM »
Here is an updated report that addresses your comments:
http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/249682451.html
Motorcyclist going 100 mph hits pothole on I-394, thrown to his death
Article by: TIM HARLOW and PAUL WALSH , Star Tribune staff writers
Updated: March 12, 2014 - 4:06 PM
The driver was heading east on I-394 when the crash occurred.
A motorcyclist with a passion for fast bikes was going at least 100 miles per hour when he struck a pothole or a crack along a winter-worn stretch of a Minneapolis interstate and thrown to his death, authorities said Wednesday.
Anand “Andy” Baskaran, 30, of the Long Island community of East Northport, N.Y., hit the road hazard along eastbound Interstate 394 near Theodore Wirth Parkway about 9:50 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the State Patrol.
Witnesses saw that Baskaran was wearing a helmet immediately before the crash, according to the patrol. A trooper who arrived at the crash scene reported that Baskaran’s helmet was not on and that one was recovered nearby.
Baskaran recently moved from Long Island, N.Y., to work at 3M in Maplewood as an information technology analyst, a company official said.
State safety officials say that Baskaran’s death is the second earliest on record in what they consider the motorcycle riding season, when winter nears its end. After a particularly cold and snowy winter, temperatures this week have climbed above freezing with no precipitation.
The temperature in Minneapolis was slightly above freezing and there was no rain or snow falling at the time of Baskaran’s crash.
Three witnesses said Baskaran and another motorcyclist were going at least 100 mph, and possibly as high as 120 mph, said Patrol Lt. Jason Bartell.
“We have one witness statement that the motorcycle hit a crack in the road and started to wobble … It’s really hard to come back from that,” Bartell said at a news briefing. The patrol’s initial report on the incident described it as a pothole.
“It falls back to speed; it falls back to that unsafe, illegal speeding,” Bartell said. “If you’re driving at that speed, no matter what the road conditions are like, it’s going to be tragic.”
Bartell said there have been “no reports of road conditions being unsafe in that area.”
The other motorcyclist “took off from the scene shortly after the crash” and has yet to be located, he said.
“The State Patrol would like to interview this person, but they have very limited information about this driver,” said Department of Public Safety spokesman Doug Neville, adding that the other motorcyclist had on a helmet and was possibly riding a black Honda CBR (2008 to 2010) sport-style motorcycle.
A passionate motorcyclist
The theme of Baskaran’s Facebook page is all about motorcycles, particularly fast ones.
“Finally first day in MN upper 30’s,” he wrote last week, with a photo of a mostly orange racing-style motorcycle. “So I might take this bad boy out for a spin this weekend.”
Danny Hirji, a fellow motorcycle enthusiast who accompanied Baskaran on many rides on a closed oval in New York, said his friend “loved bikes and rode all the time. … He was young and aggressive, but I don’t think he would do anything stupid.”
Star Tribune theater critic Rohan Preston was westbound on I-394 heading home from the Orpheum Theatre with his daughter when he came upon the scene.
“We drove slowly by it, taking in the horror with silence. There was no one near the bike,” said Preston, who described the motorcycle as being a racing-style bike. “That bike lying on its side in the middle of the highway, the police officers walking around the scene, and all the lights flashing into a surreal blur told us all we needed to know.”
Many potholes this winter
I-394 in both directions between downtown Minneapolis and Hwy. 100 was particularly vulnerable this winter to potholes because a thin asphalt overlay was peeling away. Crews have been patching up spots in recent weeks.
As efforts to fill in potholes continue, “people need to slow down and watch for them” Kent Barnard, spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), said Wednesday. “We will have a bumper crop of them this year.”
Two weeks ago, MnDOT was out patching potholes on the westbound lanes of I-394. It was not immediately known about work on the eastbound lanes, a MnDOT spokeswoman said.
Originally built as a concrete freeway, I-394 drew noise complaints from abutting Minneapolis neighborhoods.
The Legislature in the 1990s directed MnDOT to put down an asphalt mixture with a higher friction resistance to reduce tire noise, a state pavement engineer said in January.
The first layer was put down in 1996. When that wore out in 2004, MnDOT replaced it with a material that was stickier and gooier, allowing the agency to put on a thinner layer.
MnDOT said it has been that layer, scheduled to be replaced in 2015, that has been peeling away and creating the gaping craters.
Tuesday’s crash came just as the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety began publicizing its 2014 motorcycle rider safety classes. Offered at 30 Minnesota state colleges and universities from April to October, instructors from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation offer training and education to “ride better, ride smarter and ride longer.”
“Riders are taking to the roads because of the warm weather, and safety is critical, especially early in the riding season,” the state Department of Public Safety said in a statement.
Bartell reminded motorists to be alert for motorcycle riders and check their review mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes. For motorcyclists, they need “to operate safely and at a safe speed, not distracted, wearing safety equipment to prevent further injuries,” he said. He also urged motorcyclists to be mindful of road hazards at this time of year, such as snow, ice and sand.
Preliminary reports show that 60 people were killed in motorcycle crashes in 2013. There were 55 motorcycle fatalities on Minnesota roads in 2012, according to the Office of Traffic Safety.
http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/249682451.html
Motorcyclist going 100 mph hits pothole on I-394, thrown to his death
Article by: TIM HARLOW and PAUL WALSH , Star Tribune staff writers
Updated: March 12, 2014 - 4:06 PM
The driver was heading east on I-394 when the crash occurred.
A motorcyclist with a passion for fast bikes was going at least 100 miles per hour when he struck a pothole or a crack along a winter-worn stretch of a Minneapolis interstate and thrown to his death, authorities said Wednesday.
Anand “Andy” Baskaran, 30, of the Long Island community of East Northport, N.Y., hit the road hazard along eastbound Interstate 394 near Theodore Wirth Parkway about 9:50 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the State Patrol.
Witnesses saw that Baskaran was wearing a helmet immediately before the crash, according to the patrol. A trooper who arrived at the crash scene reported that Baskaran’s helmet was not on and that one was recovered nearby.
Baskaran recently moved from Long Island, N.Y., to work at 3M in Maplewood as an information technology analyst, a company official said.
State safety officials say that Baskaran’s death is the second earliest on record in what they consider the motorcycle riding season, when winter nears its end. After a particularly cold and snowy winter, temperatures this week have climbed above freezing with no precipitation.
The temperature in Minneapolis was slightly above freezing and there was no rain or snow falling at the time of Baskaran’s crash.
Three witnesses said Baskaran and another motorcyclist were going at least 100 mph, and possibly as high as 120 mph, said Patrol Lt. Jason Bartell.
“We have one witness statement that the motorcycle hit a crack in the road and started to wobble … It’s really hard to come back from that,” Bartell said at a news briefing. The patrol’s initial report on the incident described it as a pothole.
“It falls back to speed; it falls back to that unsafe, illegal speeding,” Bartell said. “If you’re driving at that speed, no matter what the road conditions are like, it’s going to be tragic.”
Bartell said there have been “no reports of road conditions being unsafe in that area.”
The other motorcyclist “took off from the scene shortly after the crash” and has yet to be located, he said.
“The State Patrol would like to interview this person, but they have very limited information about this driver,” said Department of Public Safety spokesman Doug Neville, adding that the other motorcyclist had on a helmet and was possibly riding a black Honda CBR (2008 to 2010) sport-style motorcycle.
A passionate motorcyclist
The theme of Baskaran’s Facebook page is all about motorcycles, particularly fast ones.
“Finally first day in MN upper 30’s,” he wrote last week, with a photo of a mostly orange racing-style motorcycle. “So I might take this bad boy out for a spin this weekend.”
Danny Hirji, a fellow motorcycle enthusiast who accompanied Baskaran on many rides on a closed oval in New York, said his friend “loved bikes and rode all the time. … He was young and aggressive, but I don’t think he would do anything stupid.”
Star Tribune theater critic Rohan Preston was westbound on I-394 heading home from the Orpheum Theatre with his daughter when he came upon the scene.
“We drove slowly by it, taking in the horror with silence. There was no one near the bike,” said Preston, who described the motorcycle as being a racing-style bike. “That bike lying on its side in the middle of the highway, the police officers walking around the scene, and all the lights flashing into a surreal blur told us all we needed to know.”
Many potholes this winter
I-394 in both directions between downtown Minneapolis and Hwy. 100 was particularly vulnerable this winter to potholes because a thin asphalt overlay was peeling away. Crews have been patching up spots in recent weeks.
As efforts to fill in potholes continue, “people need to slow down and watch for them” Kent Barnard, spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), said Wednesday. “We will have a bumper crop of them this year.”
Two weeks ago, MnDOT was out patching potholes on the westbound lanes of I-394. It was not immediately known about work on the eastbound lanes, a MnDOT spokeswoman said.
Originally built as a concrete freeway, I-394 drew noise complaints from abutting Minneapolis neighborhoods.
The Legislature in the 1990s directed MnDOT to put down an asphalt mixture with a higher friction resistance to reduce tire noise, a state pavement engineer said in January.
The first layer was put down in 1996. When that wore out in 2004, MnDOT replaced it with a material that was stickier and gooier, allowing the agency to put on a thinner layer.
MnDOT said it has been that layer, scheduled to be replaced in 2015, that has been peeling away and creating the gaping craters.
Tuesday’s crash came just as the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety began publicizing its 2014 motorcycle rider safety classes. Offered at 30 Minnesota state colleges and universities from April to October, instructors from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation offer training and education to “ride better, ride smarter and ride longer.”
“Riders are taking to the roads because of the warm weather, and safety is critical, especially early in the riding season,” the state Department of Public Safety said in a statement.
Bartell reminded motorists to be alert for motorcycle riders and check their review mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes. For motorcyclists, they need “to operate safely and at a safe speed, not distracted, wearing safety equipment to prevent further injuries,” he said. He also urged motorcyclists to be mindful of road hazards at this time of year, such as snow, ice and sand.
Preliminary reports show that 60 people were killed in motorcycle crashes in 2013. There were 55 motorcycle fatalities on Minnesota roads in 2012, according to the Office of Traffic Safety.