Motorcyclist Killed in Crash - Bolton, VT

[catamount]

Some days I read things like this and consider hanging up the keys and putting a for sale sign on the bike.

Bolton, Vermont - June 8, 2009

There was a deadly crash Monday morning in Bolton. Vt. State Police say it happened on Route 2 near the Bolton-Waterbury town line. Investigators say a car crossed the center line and collided head-on with a motorcycle. The motorcyclist is dead. No names have been released. It is also unknown why the driver crossed the center line.

[SVenpointsixtwo]

That sucks to hear, RIP rider. I ride that stretch all the time. Very sobering news, esp as im posting this from mobile at a lunch break mid-ride. Will be thinking about that one the whole way back for sure...

Anyone know more details? Hopefully wasnt anyone we know...

[FlynGSXR1k]

Ouch. RIP rider!!

[Trouble]

Wow... That hits close to home. A lot of decisions need to be made quickly when there is an oncoming car in your lane. RIP rider.

[markbvt]

Damn. Just rode Rt 2 yesterday.

Apparently one of my coworkers was driving by when the accident happened, stopped, and had to keep the motorcyclist from getting up. I imagine the urge to pound the living shit out of the driver must have been winning out over his injuries at the moment. Sucks to hear he later succumbed to the injuries.

--mark

[markbvt]

Update: more details from the Burlington Free Press.

A motorcyclist was killed this morning in a head-on collision with a car on U.S. 2 in Bolton.

Mark Towle, 47, of Barre, was pronounced deceased upon arrival at the hospital. The driver of the car, David T. Punia, 55, was processed for driving under the influence of drugs, according to police.

At about 8:15 a.m. Monday Vermont State Police, the Waterbury Fire Department, Richmond Rescue and Waterbury Rescue responded to the scene.

Police said Punia was driving east on U.S. 2 when his car veered left of center and collided with Towle's motorcycle in the other lane. Towle was ejected from his motorcycle and Punia's 2001 Toyota Prius rolled over before coming to a rest.

Punia suffered shoulder and ankle injuries and cuts on his face.

Driving under the influence of drugs? I hope that fuck gets very familiar with the inside of a jail cell.

--mark

[csmutty]

Update: more details from the Burlington Free Press.



Driving under the influence of drugs? I hope that fuck gets very familiar with the inside of a jail cell.

--mark

I'd rather see him go through some kind of medieval torture. Stretching him would work.

Rest in Peace.

[WordTooYoMamma]

Wirelessly posted (Tilt: HTC-8900/1.2 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.6) UP.Link/6.3.1.20.06.3.1.20.0)

RIP Man, way to many this season

[Mondo]

i hear ya man...way to many

[BigShel]

Hey, This is America we are nice to scumbags.
RIP .

I'd rather see him go through some kind of medieval torture. Stretching him would work.

Rest in Peace.

[greenmonster]

RIP to the rider and the rack for the asshole who killed him.

[markbvt]

Just had a conversation with my coworker who witnessed the crash. The motorcyclist was on a big, brand-new Kawasaki cruiser with temporary tags. The car hit him hard enough to flip through the air several times. The driver eventually crawled out of the car and said, "What, did I hit him?"

I would have been very hard pressed not to kick the shit out of the asshole right then and there.

--mark

[SVenpointsixtwo]

Just had a conversation with my coworker who witnessed the crash. The motorcyclist was on a big, brand-new Kawasaki cruiser with temporary tags. The car hit him hard enough to flip through the air several times. The driver eventually crawled out of the car and said, "What, did I hit him?"

I would have been very hard pressed not to kick the shit out of the asshole right then and there.

--mark

Had another biker been first on the scene that's probably how it would have gone. I hope he gets very well acquainted with big black bubba the biker on the inside...

[Slyder]

Mr Bread and I were just out there. Damn.

Vehicular manslaghter. Hope he enjoys his jail time.

RIP rider.

[TTD]

Very sad.

I've been face to face with several cars over the years and it's a crappy feeling.

This, and a large animal darting out in the road, are my two biggest fears.

Any time you're taking a left corner... please don't crowd the center line. Stay far right until you can see around the corner... to your exit point.

On straight sections, I crowd the center line until a few seconds before the car reaches me... then I quickly move to the right.

[MotoFreak]

Not cool at all. I too was out on Rt2 with the gf on the back round 6 this evening, very light traffic.
But damn thats horrible.


RIP

[kbroderick]

RIP.

Having lived at Bolton Valley for a few years and often ridden that way home from Bike Night, that does indeed hit close to home.

[csmutty]

Hey, This is America we are nice to scumbags.
RIP .

Yea, gotta love it. Our troops dieing to grant the freedom for people to just drive under the influence, kill people, and still live?

[highsider]

More details, driver arrested for DUI (and more charges to follow I'm sure):

A motorcyclist was killed this morning in a head-on collision with a car on U.S. 2 in Bolton.

Mark Towle, 47, of Barre, was pronounced deceased upon arrival at the hospital. The driver of the car, David T. Punia, 55, was processed for driving under the influence of drugs, according to police.
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At about 8:15 a.m. Monday Vermont State Police, the Waterbury Fire Department, Richmond Rescue and Waterbury Rescue responded to the scene.

Police said Punia was driving east on U.S. 2 when his car veered left of center and collided with Towle's motorcycle in the other lane. Towle was ejected from his motorcycle and Punia's 2001 Toyota Prius rolled over before coming to a rest.

Punia suffered shoulder and ankle injuries and cuts on his face.

[Quigs]

Update: more details from the Burlington Free Press.



Driving under the influence of drugs? I hope that fuck gets very familiar with the inside of a jail cell.

--mark

RIP to the rider and best wishes to his family on the long road ahead. Another tragedy that a bit of common sense would have averted. Here's hoping that it's the last of the season, there have been far too many already.

[thebambino79]

Damn... if this guy ever gets out of jail(which at some point he probably will), he should never be given his license back. RIP rider.

[F4Iguy]

i'm filled with rage, nuff said. RIP to rider and best wishes to friends and family. thats what, 3 now in VT alone in the last 2-3 weeks? WTF?

[kpinvt]

RIP to the rider and condolences to his family.

If the State Police find that the drugs in the drivers system at the time of the crash are his own prescribed meds then the likelihood of his facing any serious charges are pretty slim. IIRC there was a VT couple killed a year or so ago in Ticonderoga NY by a guy driving a pickup truck. He turned left right in front of them. He was fined about $60 for failure to yield the right of way. A good lawyer will keep this guy out of jail, especially if he has a clean record.

[stealth600rr]

RIP rider and my best wishes to the family and friends..

and to the mother f*cker who hit him, hope you rot in hell.... if i was at the seen of that accident i WOULD have kicked the shit outa him, not caring about A&B charges.. I just lost a friend in a fatal in waltham, MA.. Now hearing about this makes me want to puke..

[MissTwisties]

RIP to the rider and condolences to his family.

If the State Police find that the drugs in the drivers system at the time of the crash are his own prescribed meds then the likelihood of his facing any serious charges are pretty slim. IIRC there was a VT couple killed a year or so ago in Ticonderoga NY by a guy driving a pickup truck. He turned left right in front of them. He was fined about $60 for failure to yield the right of way. A good lawyer will keep this guy out of jail, especially if he has a clean record.

If that was the case, isn't there a warning on the bottle that says "do not operate machinery, drive a vehicle, etc." when taking this medication? If so, I hope he is still charged. Even if it they are legal prescribed drugs, if there is a warning of some sort, then you should follow the instructions and NOT operate a vehicle, knowing that it will affect your driving skills, thus putting you and others in danger.

R.I.P. fellow rider...poor man...brand new bike, talk about a shitty first ride.