Tyler raises awareness on motorcycle safety after fatal crashes

TYLER – According to our news partner KETK, friends of fallen officer, Sam Lively and Dakota Hunter are pleading to drivers to be aware of bikers on the road.

Tyler Police Department officer, Sam Lively died from injuries he sustained in a motorcycle crash on April 26. Officials said a vehicle attempted to change lanes on Loop 323, and struck the motorcycle. Lively died later at the hospital from his injuries.

“He always lit up the room when he walked in,” Savannah Ihrer, friend of Lively said. “Any time you saw him, whether he was in uniform or not in uniform, if he walked around the corner, it was like the light in the room got brighter.”

In two months, Ihrer lost Lively and Dakota Hunter who also died in a motorcycle crash in March.

“You always say it’s never going to be you, or it won’t happen to me. Then in the blink of an eye, it does happen to you,” Ihrer said.

For decades, Cynthia Axtell with the Longrider Motorcycle Club has shared the road with drivers and said many do not pay attention to the road.

“They forget to turn their blinker on, or they’re forgetting that they’re sharing the road with a lot of people. I mean, it’s not just phones. It can be a hamburger, it can be a donut, it can be a cup of coffee. All of those things can be a distraction,” Cynthia Axtell, Longrider member said.

Axtell said checking blind spots makes all the difference in making sure a biker gets home safe.

“They don’t stop on a dime. That’s something that a lot of people, they think, oh well, it’s two wheels and a little bit of metal, but no, they weigh a lot and they don’t just stop,” Axtell said.

The proactive steps to take while driving next to a motorcyclist are to check blind spots, have no distractions, signal to move, and double check before making the move.