Atlas Twp. – A Westland man riding in a charity bike run was hit and killed last weekend on M-15 by an ambulance bringing up the rear of the motorcade.
Ernest Durieux, 56, of Westland was driving his Harley-Davidson northbound on M-15 near Horton Road behind a HealthLink Medical Transportation Service vehicle from Taylor, Mich., said Captain Chris Swanson, of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department.
Durieux had just passed the vehicle on the left when the ambulance attempted to make a left-hand turn, colliding with the motorcycle and ejecting Durieux, who was hit by the ambulance, said Detective Sgt. Joe Parks, commander of the sheriff’s department Atlas Township precinct.
The ambulance, which had been escorting the bike run in the event of an emergency, was turning around on Horton Road after completing its Oakland County section of the event, said Nancy Dumas, spokesperson for Community EMS, the parent company of HealthLink.
‘Any time there’s an accident with a fatality it’s tragic. In this case, both the individual who died and the (ambulance) crew were taking part in a community outreach program to help a children’s charity,? Dumas said.
‘The motorcade was in support of the March of Dimes’several hundred motorcyclists were riding from Farmington to Frankenmuth.
‘The hearts and prayers of the entire HealthLink family are with the family of the individual who died in the accident.?
Genesee County Sheriff’s Deputy Gerald VanWormer responded to the accident, which was determined to be the fault of the motorcyclist. Durieux was pronounced dead at the scene.