A motorcyclist is dead after a chain-reaction crash occurred on Interstate 71 Sunday morning, according to the Cleveland Division of Police.
Around 2:33 a.m., a motorcycle operated by a 31-year-old man traveled northbound on I-71 in the second lane as it neared the West 130th Street and Bellaire Road exit ramp, police said.
The motorcycle then crossed two lanes, traveled onto the right shoulder and then to the concrete and grass median that separated the exit ramp from the lanes. The 31-year-old then lost control, which caused the motorcycle to overturn several times before coming to a stop on the exit ramp.
Shortly after, an SUV exiting northbound on I-71 struck the rider and the rear of a separate vehicle that had stopped to assist. The assisting car, driven by a 35-year-old man, was pushed into a guardrail along the east edge of the exit ramp, police said.
According to CPD, the 31-year-old was pronounced dead on the scene.
The 35-year-old driver was taken to a local hospital. The driver of the SUV remained at the scene, police said.
The Cleveland Division of Police's Accident Investigation Unit is investigating the crash.
