Austun Cooley Killed in Riverside Motorcycle Accident on Acacia Avenue near New Chicago Avenue

Austun Cooley
Austun Cooley Killed in Riverside Motorcycle Accident on Acacia Avenue near New Chicago Avenue

, California (July 19, 2022) – Austun Cooley, 26, of , was killed in a traffic collision involving a motorcycle and a vehicle in Riverside on Friday night, according to a CHP report.

The deadly incident took place on Acacia Avenue, just west of New Chicago Avenue, at around 9:15 p.m. on July 15.

Cooley was reportedly riding a 2012 Yamaha eastbound on Acacia Avenue at a high rate of speed when he crashed into a Dodge 2500 pickup pulling a flatbed trailer.

The Dodge was backing into a residential driveway, and Cooley threw his motorcycle onto the side in an attempt to avoid it but slid into the Dodge.

Cooley was rushed to Riverside University Medical Center in , where he was pronounced dead at around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning.

The other driver, a 34-year-old man, was not hurt.

Authorities said the motorcycle rider may have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.

The crash is under investigation.

Crash Fatalities in California Went Up in 2021, Early Federal Estimates Show

Newly released estimates by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that fatalities caused by traffic crashes on U.S. freeways reached a 16-year high in 2021. The crash deaths also increased in almost every state, including California, according to NHTSA.

According to the Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities in 2021 report released by NHTSA, about 42,915 people were killed in traffic collisions in 2021 in the U.S. This shows a 10.5% increase from the 38,828 fatalities reported in 2020.

NHTSA says the projection is the highest number of traffic deaths since 2005 as well as the largest percentage rise in the history of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

In California, 4,258 people died in traffic collisions in 2021 – a 10.7% increase from 2020's 3,847, as per the NHTSA report titled – “Crash Stats: Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities in 2021.”

According to the traffic deaths estimates, in the two-state region that includes Arizona and California, crash fatalities in 2021 are projected to go up by 10% over the previous year.

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