UPDATE: Jose Martinez-Garcia Killed in Motorcycle Accident on FM 812 in Del Valle, TX
UPDATE (March 22, 2021): Authorities have identified the victim of this motorcycle crash as 22-year-old Jose Martinez-Garcia.
Further investigation found that Martinez-Garcia was traveling east on FM 812 when his Kawasaki motorcycle traveled straight through a curve and off the south edge of the road. The cycle then struck a guardrail, causing Martinez-Garcia to be ejected.
Del Valle, TX -- March 14, 2021, one person was killed when a motorcycle and another vehicle collided on Farm to Market Road 812 in Del Valle.
Authorities say the incident happened just before 8:15 p.m. on the 10600 block of FM 812, west of Circuit of the Americas. The circumstances of the crash aren't yet clear, but investigators confirmed one person was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation is ongoing. No further information is currently available.
Commentary on Traffic Accident on FM 812 in Del Valle
There's not much information about what happened here, and I try to avoid speculating while authorities are still trying to connect the dots. I do my best to caution others against it as well; it doesn't help anyone to stitch together a narrative out of the few vague sentences news outlets often use for early reports.
This tendency is exacerbated by some people's general bias against motorcycle riders. There is an unfortunate tendency to assume riders are "daredevils" of a sort, and to blame them automatically after a crash occurs. In reality most motorcyclists obey the law just like anyone else, and if anything the majority of them ride more safely than those in cars because the consequences of crashing are far worse without seat belts or airbags.
That's not to say it's impossible for the rider to be at fault, but making assumptions with so little information is irresponsible and shows disrespect to victims. Without knowing anything more than "two vehicles crashed," it's wholly unreasonable to say which party was to blame or what other factors might have been involved. Investigators still have to look into many possibilities--not just driver-related issues, but also problems with the vehicles themselves, road conditions, visibility, bad weather, other traffic in the area, and many other elements that could have influenced or even outright caused the wreck.
Some may believe I'm talking about a non-issue here and that no one would make up a story based on so few known facts. I wish I could agree, but the Internet is full of amateur detectives more than happy to create a story out of almost nothing. The best thing to do right now is to wait for more information and focus attention on what can be done for the victim's loved ones as investigators work on the case.
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