COLUMBUS, Ind. – A Marion County man was thrown from his motorcycle after striking a deer on northbound I-65, near the 62-mile marker in southern Bartholomew County, early Monday morning. The motorcyclist was killed and two “Good Samaritans” were injured when they were struck by a second vehicle.
The initial investigation by Indiana State Police (ISP) indicates that just before 2 a.m., a motorcycle driven by Marcus Grayson, 34, of Indianapolis hit the deer, was injured, and ended up lying in the roadway.
Three witnesses stopped to assist him. A semi, driven by Lee H. Muller, 45, of Danville, Kentucky, tried to avoid the vehicles and pedestrians in the roadway but his truck struck two of the Good Samaritan’s vehicles and the motorcycle.
Grayson, the motorcyclist, was pronounced dead at the scene. One of the men who stopped to help at the accident site sustained serious injuries and was flown to an Indianapolis hospital for treatment. Another man was hit with debris and was treated for minor injuries.
Analysis by the ISP Crash Reconstruction Team continues. Toxicology results are pending. I-65 was closed for about four hours for accident investigation and cleanup.