Motorcycle passenger dies, bringing the 14th annual Riding For The Cure to a halt
A woman died and a man was taken to the hospital by a medical helicopter after the motorcycle they were aboard crashed along Oneida Valley Road in Washington Township Saturday afternoon, July 26.
Passenger Betty E. Campbell, 66, of Butler, died after the 2011 Can-Am Spyder she was riding on crashed into a creek, state police said in a report. Douglas B. Campbell Jr., 69, of Butler, was taken from the scene to Allegheny General Hospital with a suspected serious injury. No official report on his status was available as of Sunday night.
The single-vehicle crash was reported at 1:05 p.m. near 2678 Oneida Valley Road in Washington Township.
The two were participating in the 14th annual Riding for the Cure event with other motorcyclists when their vehicle began to veer off the road while driving south along Oneida Valley Road approaching Annisville Road.
The motorcycle crossed the center line, struck a guardrail and continued down an embankment into a creek.
Lynda Kerr, founder of Butler County Riding For The Cure, said some motorcyclists on the route attempted to help the victims.
The ride was called off once the crash happened and many of the people on the route returned to the American Legion, which was also the end point of the event.
Kerr said she and the people who were on the ride will support one another and the families affected by the death.
“We’re going to support the families, and our thoughts and prayers are with them,” she said.”
Butler County dispatch initially called Water Rescue Team 300 to respond to the incident, although the unit was canceled shortly after.
Eau Claire Fire Department, West Sunbury and North Washington volunteer fire departments, and Karns City Regional Ambulance Service also responded to the crash.
Motorcyclists met at the American Legion starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, despite rain pelting the parking lot at the start of registration.
Kerr coordinated the first Riding For The Cure in 2012 to help raise money for her friend, who was undergoing breast cancer treatment at the time. The event has continued to be a once-a-year tradition for many motorcyclists in the area, who participate in the bike run to raise money to help people pay for medical bills, as well as other needs that arise during treatment.
Since 2012, the organization has raised more than $500,000 for local patients.
Longtime supporters of the ride said before departing the legion that they continue to take part in it because it’s a great cause.
Josh Barto, one of the ride’s captains, said before the ride that while cancer has affected almost everyone, Riding For The Cure also has helped many people in the area.
“It’s a big outpouring, it’s affected a lot of people,” Barto said. “It turns out to be a nice event. There’s a lot of people that support it. We have people come from all over the place.”
Motorcyclists comforted one another in the afternoon at the American Legion, where the mood was more somber compared to that of before they departed.
Kerr said the motorcycling community will come together around the people who died, as well as their families.
“We’re a family, we’re a community,” Kerr said.
Eagle staff writer Sol McCormick contributed to this report.
