A 25-year-old motorcyclist suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to a Rhode Island hospital after crashing into a construction barrier on Route 28 in Yarmouth shortly before 12:30 a.m. Saturday. Responding officers found the rider on the ground near Parker's River Landing, while the motorcycle itself turned up in roadside bushes.
According to capecod.com, the crash happened on Route 28 near the Parker's River Bridge and the entrance to Parker's River Landing by Neptune Lane. The outlet reports a preliminary investigation determined the motorcycle was traveling west on Route 28, failed to stop at a red traffic light, and collided with a jersey barrier positioned in an active work zone. The operator was thrown from the motorcycle as a result of the crash, per the same account.
As NBC Boston reported, the rider was first transported to Cape Cod Gateway Airport before Boston MedFlight flew him to a hospital in Rhode Island. The station also noted that Yarmouth Police said the crash occurred near the Parker's River Bridge and that the motorcycle had been heading west at the time.
Construction Zone Had Traffic Squeezed Into One Lane
The stretch of Route 28 where the crash occurred had recently been reduced to a single lane because of ongoing construction, with a portable traffic signal controlling two-way traffic, the capecod.com report states. The town of Yarmouth had announced sewer work at Parker's River Landing earlier in the week, noting the road would remain one lane alternating with a temporary traffic light overnight and on weekends for roughly two weeks, with daytime closures planned during construction.
Investigators also determined that the motorcycle's operator was riding without a valid driver's license, according to the crash report cited by capecod.com. Yarmouth Police closed the affected section of Route 28 and called in the department's Crash Reconstruction unit, which is investigating the crash.
Route 28 Has a History as a Problem Corridor
The crash adds to a troubling safety record along Route 28 in Yarmouth. A Cape Cod Commission report examined 15,145 crashes across Barnstable County from 2021 through 2023, according to Cape Cod Commission data. The report covered crash locations across the county during the same period.
The commission's analysis also found 409 crashes involving vulnerable roadway users across Barnstable County from 2021 through 2023, including 10 fatalities, and recorded 48 fatal crashes on Cape Cod during that period. Yarmouth has separately outlined plans for broader Route 28 corridor improvements aimed at addressing safety concerns along the roadway.
No further details on the motorcyclist's condition have been released, and Yarmouth Police Crash Reconstruction continues to investigate exactly how the crash unfolded in the active work zone.
