Over the weekend, a 38-year-old motorcyclist tragically lost his life in a crash in Springfield Township, as confirmed by the Hamilton County Coroner's Office and local law enforcement. The victim, identified as Matthew Ertel of Springdale, was pronounced dead at the University of Cincinnati Hospital following the incident, FOX19 reports.

Springfield Township Police Lt. Matt Wilcher stated via FOX19 News, "The information from the Coroner's Office is accurate; we had an accident on Saturday on Daly Road involving Mr. Ertel, which is still under investigation," adding that Ertel was riding his motorcycle alone when he lost control. However, details remain limited at this time, WLWT outlines. The accident occurred in the 9500 block of Daly Road at approximately 3:48 p.m. Saturday, during which Ertel's 2003 Harley Davidson motorcycle veered off the east side of the roadway and collided with roadside structures, according to Local12's description of the police crash report.

The sequence of the fatal events began with Ertel losing control and the motorcycle sliding off the right side of Daly Road; its trajectory was along the guardrail before it careened into a utility pole, and during this series of events, Ertel was ejected and ultimately struck the pole, as per details from the official crash report. There has been no confirmation whether Ertel died at the scene or later at the medical center, the coroner's office has said.

A notable detail from the crash report highlighted by Local12 is that Ertel was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, a factor that can often contribute to the severity of injuries sustained in motorcycle crashes, and it's this grim reminder that may reverberate within the local community as they mourn the loss of a fellow resident.