A late-night motorcycle crash on Atlanta’s I-75 left a passenger dead and the driver critically injured after troopers said the bike was racing another motorcycle. The collision happened Friday night in the southbound lanes near Mount Paran Road, and the people inside the car that was struck were not injured.
According to a report by WSB-TV, Torrey McClary, 36, was riding with Amanda Tanks, 27, when the motorcycle hit another car. Both were thrown into the roadway, and Tanks was pronounced dead at the scene while McClary was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
A vehicle fire also blocked all southbound lanes as emergency crews worked the scene, adding a major overnight closure to an already dangerous stretch of interstate. The crash is the latest serious motorcycle wreck reported on a metro Atlanta highway this summer.
Recent Metro Crashes Put Motorcycle Risk Back In Focus
Earlier this month, Atlanta News First reported that a motorcyclist died on I-285 after being caught between two tractor-trailers. That crash, like the I-75 wreck, involved a rider being thrown into a roadway where larger vehicles left little room for recovery.
Georgia Motorcycle Crash Data Highlights Speed Risks
Georgia’s highway-safety plan, filed through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, found that 62% of motorcyclist fatalities and 66% of serious injuries in 2021 occurred in crashes involving multiple vehicles. Among motorcycle operators in multi-vehicle crashes, following too closely and risky or aggressive driving were listed among the leading contributing factors.
The initial report did not identify the other motorcycle involved in the alleged race or say whether charges had been filed. Troopers are continuing to investigate the collision, while McClary remains hospitalized and Tanks’ family faces the aftermath of a crash that began as a high-speed ride on one of Atlanta’s busiest highways.
