Having the right protective gear may have helped a motorcyclist escape serious injury this week in Utah after a collision with a C7 Corvette.
Cedar City Police Sgt. Tim Bonzo says the female cyclist struck the Stingray as the car was attempting a U-turn from the middle lane to head south on Airport Road in Cedar City, Utah about 10:47 a.m. Thursday.
The impact then sent the green motorcycle and its driver sliding into the back of a silver Toyota RAV-4 SUV whose driver, Cedar City Council member Carter Wilkey, had just parked.
The cyclist “had protective gear on, as far as a jacket and a helmet” and escaped serious injury, Bonzo said.
Gold Cross Ambulance workers treated the cyclist for cuts to her lower leg and other minor injuries and also checked a female passenger in the Corvette for possible minor injuries.
The Corvette driver was not injured, though he may face charges for making an illegal U-turn, according to Bonzo.
The Corvette suffered heavy damage to the front end and had to be towed away, as did the motorcycle.
The accident scene created a traffic jam for about a half-hour, even turning into a quasi-Corvette show for a while as members of the Color Country Corvette Club who were participating in an organized ride parked nearby to see what was going on.
Traffic was also heavier in the area because RCS Rocket Motor Components – which offers research motor components and chemicals for experimental rocketry – was hosting a grand opening ceremony for its new facility.