One dead in Cleveland motorcycle crash; fourth fatality in five days | News

CLEVELAND - One person is dead after a motorcycle crash on Third Creek Church Road near Cleveland.

The Highway Patrol says the accident happened around 6:30 Wednesday morning.  A bright blue motorcycle ran off the road about a quarter of a mile from Highway 70 on the western end of Third Creek Church Road.

Dennis Wayne Elmore, 39, of Statesville, was traveling at a rate of speed that was much too high for the sharp curve in the road.  The motorcycle ran off the road and into a large front yard.

No other vehicles were involved.  

It is the fourth motorcycle related fatality in the last fives in, or very near Rowan County.  On Saturday a man was killed when he crashed his bike off Bringle Ferry Road near the county line.  On Sunday Mark and Suzette Jones were killed when their motorcycle was hit by a car driven by Khalil Abdul Farook.

The recent accidents have been a topic of discussion throughout the biking community.

Zach Downs runs Salisbury Cycle Center. He was aware of the four deaths involving motorcycles in the last few days.

Downs say safety is always a priority he stresses.

"That's the biggest thing we run into new riders not familiar with the bike and not familiar with the surroundings and they make one simple mistake that can change their life, so we really worry about that," Downs told WBTV.

"The proper gear is really important, helmets, boots, gloves, jackets, and of all the important things the most is obviously a really good helmet."

Pat Cashell has been riding for about six years, but didn't start until he took a safety course.

"It was a good thing to do like taking driver's ed for kids you know," Cashell told WBTV.

And Cashell says tragedies like the recent ones on local roads do get the attention of bikers, he just hopes they also send a message to drivers.

"It bothers you, it goes through the whole motorcycle community, it ripples, even if we don't know them."

Zach Downs also told us that drivers in cars need to pay attention to motorcycles, understand that they often are going much faster than they appear, and he says that's why you should never pull out in front of one.