Rider in Denton motorcycle wreck suffering severe injuries

A motorcycle rider was taken to Medical City Denton with life-threatening injuries after colliding with a freeway guardrail on Wednesday.

Officers received a 911 call reporting a motorcycle crash on the northbound ramp to Interstate 35W from Interstate 35E shorty after 7:15 p.m. The caller reported that an off-duty paramedic was administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation to the motorcycle rider. Responding officers and fire department personnel located a 56-year-old man on the ground with severe injuries.

The rider was taken to Medical City Denton by helicopter, according to a news release from the Denton police. Lifesaving efforts were performed while in the air and continued at the hospital, the release said.

A preliminary investigation shows that the motorcycle rider, who was not wearing a helmet, failed to navigate a curve on the ramp and struck a guardrail before being thrown from the motorcycle, the release said. No other vehicles were involved.

Traffic investigators were trying to determine why the motorcycle rider struck the guardrail and if intoxication played a role in the crash. The motorcycle rider’s name is being withheld pending notification of family members, the release said.

The northbound ramp to Interstate 35W from Interstate 35E was shut down during the investigation.

This story was originally published August 16, 2017 at 10:40 PM with the headline "Rider in Denton motorcycle wreck suffering severe injuries."