An 18-year-old Clarence High School senior was killed in a “horrific” crash Wednesday morning after he fled from a state trooper who had stopped his motorcycle a short time earlier, police and witnesses told The Buffalo News.
The motorcyclist was identified this afternoon as Patrick S. Conway.
The trooper spotted the motorcyclist, who was driving without a rear license plate, and pulled him over on Main Street in Clarence.
“The motorcyclist stopped, and the trooper got out of his vehicle, and as he was walking to the motorcyclist, the motorcyclist then took off at a high rate of speed,” a law enforcement official familiar with the case said.
The motorcyclist was westbound on Main, passing Harris Hill Road, and crossed over two lanes, crashing into an eastbound 2009 BMW X6.
The mangled motorcycle caught fire and came to rest on the eastbound shoulder of the road.
Rich Lund was in a chiropractic office several hundred feet from the impact when he heard a loud boom.
“I went up to see what happened, and I asked a woman, did she see what happened, and she said, ‘Yes. The motorcyclist tried to pass a car and hit the BMW,’ " Lund said.
Diane Cox, a secretary at the office, said she heard the boom and looked out her window and saw the motorcycle on fire.
“I went outside and saw the body lying in the road. Firefighters kept spraying the fire, but it kept coming back,” Cox said, “From what I understand, the motorcyclist was mangled.” Cox said she was told the vehicle was a “crotch rocket.”
Clarence High School Principal Kenneth Smith offered condolences on behalf of the district to the Conway family and urged parents to talk with their children if they see signs of emotional distress over the student’s death.
He said the district will have psychologists and guidance counselors available at the high school to assist students and faculty.
“The Clarence school community has been saddened by the tragic death of Patrick Conway, a senior involved in an automobile accident,” Smith said. “Our entire high school has been impacted by this loss. Our deepest sympathy is with Patrick’s family and friends.”
email: lmichel@buffnews.com
The motorcyclist was identified this afternoon as Patrick S. Conway.
The trooper spotted the motorcyclist, who was driving without a rear license plate, and pulled him over on Main Street in Clarence.
“The motorcyclist stopped, and the trooper got out of his vehicle, and as he was walking to the motorcyclist, the motorcyclist then took off at a high rate of speed,” a law enforcement official familiar with the case said.
The motorcyclist was westbound on Main, passing Harris Hill Road, and crossed over two lanes, crashing into an eastbound 2009 BMW X6.
The mangled motorcycle caught fire and came to rest on the eastbound shoulder of the road.
Rich Lund was in a chiropractic office several hundred feet from the impact when he heard a loud boom.
“I went up to see what happened, and I asked a woman, did she see what happened, and she said, ‘Yes. The motorcyclist tried to pass a car and hit the BMW,’ " Lund said.
Diane Cox, a secretary at the office, said she heard the boom and looked out her window and saw the motorcycle on fire.
“I went outside and saw the body lying in the road. Firefighters kept spraying the fire, but it kept coming back,” Cox said, “From what I understand, the motorcyclist was mangled.” Cox said she was told the vehicle was a “crotch rocket.”
Clarence High School Principal Kenneth Smith offered condolences on behalf of the district to the Conway family and urged parents to talk with their children if they see signs of emotional distress over the student’s death.
He said the district will have psychologists and guidance counselors available at the high school to assist students and faculty.
“The Clarence school community has been saddened by the tragic death of Patrick Conway, a senior involved in an automobile accident,” Smith said. “Our entire high school has been impacted by this loss. Our deepest sympathy is with Patrick’s family and friends.”
email: lmichel@buffnews.com