http://www.thedailytimes.com/article...NEWS/309089989

Names released in crash on Dragon

By Jessica Stith
of The Daily Times Staff



Names were released on Sunday in connection to Saturday's motorcycle wreck on the Dragon that killed a Florida man and sent a Clarksville man to the hospital.

According to a Tennessee Highway Patrol report, Michael Andrew Mercer, 26, Port Richey, Fla., was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Terence Wayne Leblanc, 32, Clarksville, was in stable condition at University of Tennessee Medical Center. The accident occurred at 7:28 p.m. in an area of Calderwood Highway (U.S. 129) known as the Dragon — an 11.1-mile section of the highway that has 318 curves.

THP Trooper Philip Warren reported that Leblanc was riding a 2006 Harley Davidson ISF motorcycle northbound on Calderwood Highway in the area of mile marker 4. Mercer was riding a 2003 Honda 600F4I motorcycle southbound on the highway.

Mercer's vehicle "entered the northbound lane and struck (Leblanc's) vehicle," the report said.

Both men were wearing their helmets. No charges or citations were given at the time of the accident, according to the report.

Leblanc was taken by Rural/Metro Ambulance Service to UT Medical Center on Saturday night and was listed in stable condition on Sunday.

Saturday's accident was the 12th Blount County traffic fatality, the ninth motorcyclist killed, and the fourth death on the Dragon for 2008. At this point in 2007, there had been 21 traffic fatalities in Blount County. Along with THP and Rural/Metro, the Blount County Sheriff's Office and Blount County Volunteer Rescue Squad responded to the scene.


Originally published: September 08. 2008 3:01AM
Last modified: September 07. 2008 10:48PM
Login | Register



http://www.thedailytimes.com/article...NEWS/309079971


Cyclist dies on Dragon; second motorcyclist taken to UT Medical Center

By Mark Boxley
of The Daily Times Staff



One person was killed and another injured Saturday evening in a two-motorcycle crash on Calderwood Highway.

The accident happened at about 7:27 p.m. at a curve around mile marker 4 of a section of Calderwood Highway (U.S. 129) called the Dragon -- an 11.1-mile section of the highway with 318 curves.

Few details on the accident were available late Saturday -- including the identities of the two individuals involved in the accident.

According to Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Philip Warren, one motorcycle was driving southbound on the road and the other was traveling northbound. At some point one of the motorcycles crossed over the center line, Warren said. Information was not available late Saturday on the nature of the accident -- if the two motorcycles crashed into each other, or if the drivers wrecked trying to avoid one another.

At the scene, it appeared the southbound motorcycle applied its brakes in an attempt to stop, but skid for dozens of feet -- leaving a long, thin black line along the highway that eventually crossed into the northbound lane at the curve.

More than a dozen other motorcyclists were standing in the dark around the crash as emergency workers attended to the injured individual and law enforcement personnel cataloged the accident site.

Neither individual involved in the crash was identified, but Warren said the injured man was taken by Rural/Metro Ambulance Service to University of Tennessee Medical Center.

The two vehicles involved were also not identified by authorities, but three THP troopers spent time looking over and discussing a sport bike with a broken handlebar parked on the northbound side of the road.

The highway around the accident was closed in both directions for several hours while the injured man was removed, along with the driver killed in the accident, and as law enforcement personnel reconstructed the accident.

Saturday's accident was the 12th Blount County traffic fatality, the ninth motorcyclist killed, and the third death on the Dragon for 2008. At this point in 2007, there had been 21 traffic fatalities in Blount County.

Along with THP and Rural/Metro, the Blount County Sheriff's Office and Blount County Volunteer Rescue Squad responded to the scene.

 

Sad that this happened. This may start something but its how I believe. This is not an accident --this is a series of mistakes. Someone is at fault be it mechanical or rider error. The thing that always bothers me the most is that someone may have got hurt or killed through no fault of his own except to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up being caught in someone else's series of mistakes or poorly judged actions. We all like to think we can avoid the wreck but time doesn't always allow it.

 

I'll start something. I've been to the Dragon and ridden it a few times. the sport bike guys act like it's their personal race course. I've been passed in my lane on curves by sport bikes. For those guys, scratching your bike and leaving parts on the road is a rite of passage. There is even a tree of shame for parts you've parted with. These are not Harleys causing problems on this wonderful run. I personally would love to see the LEO's get tough on this road. A lot of law-abiding, safe riding motorcyclists would love to experience the Dragon but it has gotten out of control.

 

'boater is right. It's creepy 'cause my son road it yesterday on his Triumph. He said it was awesome, and I am anxious to run it, too. A couple of days ago, a great friend and Army buddy was severely injured near Red Top Mountain NW of Atlanta. He was airlifted out by helicopter which adds to the bad karma this week because Matt is a Life Flight helicopter pilot in Atlanta. I don't know if it was his company that came for him.

 

A long skid, dozens of feet going into another lane....sounds like someone was going too fast.

 

It isn't just the "sportbike" crowd that hurts us...

 

Another example ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF5Cttoi7dY

 

I went on the Dragon the past June. It was a interesting bit of curves but I wouldn't go out of my way to run it again. Sat for a hour waiting for bikes to be hauled up from the woods after a crash. This was a guy that had a heart attack and just sailed of the road.
Way to many people on that section of curvy road for me. I was there on a week day. The weekends are especially dangerous. Go there, make the run. Just watch your ***!

Ric

 

More LEO's? Give me a break. And trust me, sportbikers don't want to leave parts of our bikes there.

 

So much for "Mr. Cool" one handin' it while his right floor plate is scrapin....
Guess he wasn`t as "Cool" as he thought. Hell, he shoulda got up and layed it down goin' the other direction so his Road Rash would be equal on both sides...