A 23-year-old man was killed in a motorcycle accident Wednesday afternoon on County Road 139, according to the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to the area of County Road 139 and Hall Road around 3 p.m. for a report of a personal injury accident. Upon arrival, they found the motorcyclist, Ronald J. Wheeler of Interlaken, had been ejected from his Kawasaki Ninja. Despite life-saving efforts from first responders, Wheeler was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators determined that Wheeler had been traveling westbound when his motorcycle veered off the north shoulder of the road and collided with a parked pickup truck in a driveway. A preliminary investigation suggests that speed and high wind gusts were contributing factors.
The accident remains under investigation, with members of the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigation Division interviewing witnesses and reconstructing the crash. County Road 139 was closed for about three hours while authorities worked the scene.
Emergency responders from South Seneca Ambulance, the Ovid and Interlaken Fire Departments, the Seneca County Highway Department, and the Seneca County Crisis Team assisted at the scene.
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