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WEST JORDAN — A 33-year-old man was killed Saturday night when he lost control of the motorcycle he was driving on Bangerter Highway after apparently hitting a pallet believed to have fallen from another vehicle, West Jordan police said.
"It appeared that the pallet maybe came off a truck or something, some kind of vehicle that was transporting it. It was just in the roadway. We're not sure if he didn't see it or what happened," West Jordan Police Sgt. J.C. Holt said.
West Jordan Police Sgt. Dan Roberts said Craig Schmidt was traveling southbound on Bangerter Highway near 8800 South when he crashed shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday.
He was wearing a helmet and other protective gear, Holt said, "the right tools that people need to ride a motorcycle safely but unfortunately, with the high rate of speed on the highway" any crash is dangerous.
Holt said the man struck a guardrail after colliding with the pallet.
The accident, which was witnessed by other drivers on the road, happened in an area under construction, he said, but there have been no other reports of vehicles striking debris.
Drivers have an obligation to secure their loads, Holt said, but in this case, "the driver may not even have been aware that they lost the pallet. It's really tough in a circumstance like this, clearly, all the way around, an accident."
He said the investigation will continue and urged drivers to use caution in the construction area.
Contributing: Sean Moody
