A 53-year-old Cleveland man died Monday afternoon after his motorcycle slammed into the back of a semi-truck trailer on northbound I-75 in Monroe County, and the bike burst into flames after the impact. William R. Marbuery was pronounced dead at the scene north of Post Road in Frenchtown Township, where the crash triggered a lane closure that backed up traffic for miles.
According to ClickOnDetroit, the crash happened Monday at 2:18 p.m. on northbound I-75 north of Post Road. Police said Marbuery was riding a 2016 Harley-Davidson motorcycle in the center lane when he struck the rear of a trailer being pulled by a white 1992 Kenworth tractor. The tractor was operated by 62-year-old Jeffrey Pence Sandy of Romeo, Michigan.
Motorcycle Caught Fire After Impact
After the collision, officials said Marbuery fell from the motorcycle, and the Harley-Davidson caught fire. The station's report notes that the Kenworth tractor-trailer came to a controlled stop in the center travel lane following the crash. Marbuery was wearing a helmet at the time, and Sandy had his safety belt on, according to the same account. Police also said the Kenworth tractor did not have airbags.
The crash caused significant disruption on one of southeast Michigan's busiest highway corridors. Northbound I-75 lanes became congested because of a separate lane closure north of the crash scene, which reduced the highway to one lane, per the report. The crash remains under investigation, and no further details on its cause have been released.
Michigan's Motorcycle Safety Record
Fatal motorcycle crashes like the one that killed Marbuery are not uncommon on Michigan roads. According to the Michigan Traffic Crash Facts report, the state recorded 3,175 motorcycle-involved crashes in 2021 alone, resulting in 166 motorcyclist deaths and 2,526 injuries. That same year, the motorcycle fatality rate in Michigan stood at 21.6 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, compared with just 1.1 for all traffic combined, even though motorcycles made up only 1.1 percent of all crashes statewide.
Helmet use among Michigan's motorcycle fatalities has historically been a mixed picture. Of the riders killed in 2021, 75 were wearing helmets and 72 were not, while helmet use was unknown for the remaining 19, per the Michigan Traffic Crash Facts data. Separately, among motorcycle operators killed that year, 124 of 159 were reported by police as simply going straight ahead just before the crash, a detail that echoes how Marbuery's fatal collision unfolded in a single travel lane.
