The Utah Highway Patrol reported that Charles Taylor, 56, of West Jordan was killed in a motorcycle crash on I-80 in Parley's Canyon near Jeremy Ranch on July 3, 2009 at about 1:25 p.m..  Mr. Taylor was riding east with a group of motorcycles when he was forced off the freeway by a car that "cut him off."  From reports it looks like the offending car swerved into his lane and slowed and although Mr. Taylor slammed on his brakes he crashed into the back of the car causing him to flip several times.  Cameron Roden, a spokesman for UHP said "The Marquis made a lane change in front of the Harley-Davidson The Harley was in the center lane, - the driver was not able to avoid the collision." The driver of the Mercury, a 65-year-old Minnesota man, might be cited in the crash, Roden said. A medical helicopter was dispatched to the scene and Mr. Taylor was transported to the University of Utah Hospital where he was pronounced dead ten minutes after arrival.

Coincidentally I was also riding home on my motorcycle with my son on his motorcycle from a day trip to Mirror Lake.  We had stopped in Park City for a break and something to drink when I received a call from a friend who knew we were in the area making sure we were not the victims of the crash.  The motorcycle community is a close-knit community and whenever we hear of a motorcycle crash the cell phones light up to see who was involved - making sure it is not someone we know.  We finished our drink and mounted our bikes for the always hairy ride down Parley's.  Maybe it is just the nature of the road and traffic in Parley's but I also think that inpatient drivers dealing with slower-moving trucks that make this road treacherous.

I received another call later that night from another motorcycle friend telling me that Mr. Taylor was a friend of theirs and for the first time remembered meeting the man at a bike rally on our way to Elko a couple of weeks previous.  Mr. Taylor was a seasoned motorcycle rider and knew how to handle a bike.  This very sad crash goes to show that no matter how careful we motorcycle riders are that we must be constantly vigilant in not only how we ride but how other people are driving.  Even the best riders get killed by the momentary indifference or inattentiveness of a driver who does not look where they are going.

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