Sun causes motorcycle accident on U.S. 41

One man is safe tonight thanks to his helmet after crashing his motorcycle into the back of a minivan in Marquette Township. The incident happened around 7:30 p.m. just as the sun began to set on U.S. 41 and Wright Street near Target.

The man driving the motorcycle was heading westbound on U.S. 41 into the glare of the sun making it difficult to see the traffic signal. Just as he made out the red light, he looked down only to see a minivan directly in front of him. He was not able to stop in time and proceeded to flip over the handle bars of his bike, pinning his body upright against the back of the van.

No one in the van was injured, and the driver only suffered a few scrapes. He was not issued a traffic citation, but was deemed at fault, and went on to say that if it hadn’t been for his helmet, he might not be alive.