ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A 79-year-old man died after losing control on a curve and crashing his newly modified three-wheeled motorcycle in Oakland County, police said.
John Lewis Blackwell, 79, of Pontiac, had just had his 2011 Harley-Davidson motorcycle modified on Monday (May 9) to add a third wheel, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
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After he picked up the motorcycle, he was driving south on Baldwin Road, west of Clarkston Road, in Orion Township and lost control on a curve, deputies said.
Blackwell struck a curb and was ejected from the motorcycle, according to police. He landed in a ditch on the west side of the road, authorities said.
“Oakland County Sheriff’s Office crash investigators believe Blackwell’s unfamiliarity with operating the modified vehicle led to the accident,” a release says.
Blackwell was taken to a nearby hospital by Orion Township firefighters, but he died from his injuries, according to officials.
He was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, they said. Alcohol is not believed to have been a factor.