EASTHAMPTON — A motorcyclist died Tuesday night after losing control of his bike and crashing into a parked car, police said.
Police responded to a call around 9:15 p.m. of a crash where they found Terry John, 56, of Easthampton, with “life- threatening injuries” at 50 Glendale St., according to Officer Chad Alexander. John was transported to Baystate Medical Center where he died from his injuries.
“The motorcyclist failed to negotiate a turn,” Capt. Chris Patnode said. He said John rode through some bushes and hit a parked car at high speed, pushing it into another car that was parked next to it.
Police found John unconscious when they arrived, Alexander said, and his breathing was “labored.” Alexander said the ambulance arrived immediately and took John to the hospital.
John lived in an apartment complex on Laplante Circle off Park Street where neighbors said he spent a lot of his time working on his motorcycle and riding it at least twice a day.
Patricia Wheelock, 71, lived beneath John’s apartment and said John was friendly to everyone in her building.
“He was a very nice guy and he was always willing to help you,” Wheelock said. “His bike was his passion… We would clean up our front lawn together and we would talk on the steps here … He would move my car in the winter so plows could clear the parking lot.”
At 50 Glendale St. on Tuesday night, homeowners Janice Beetle and Craig Fear heard the loud roar of a motorcycle engine, a “horrific” crash, and then silence.
On Wednesday, Beetle said her gut instinct told her that somebody was really hurt before even stepping outside. Immediately, she called 911 and ran outside to join Fear, who had gone out to survey the damage.
He saw the side of his Toyota Camry smashed and “completely pushed up against” Beetle’s Ford Focus from the high-velocity impact of John’s crash. Fear’s parked car had been moved 4 or 5 feet from the force of the collision.
“It was really terrifying,” Beetle said. “I really feel for his family.”
That area of Glendale Street is “thickly settled,” Alexander said, and several neighbors began calling police when they heard the loud impact of the crash.
John’s family is from out of state and police said they have notified them of his death.
The crash is being investigated by the Easthampton Police Department Accident Reconstruction Team and Evidence/Identification Unit to determine the driver’s speed and what caused the accident.
Luis Fieldman can be reached at lfieldman@gazettenet.com