Wuanyae Chatman Killed in Motorcycle Accident on Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth, TX
UPDATE (April 19, 2022): Sources have identified the victim of this accident as 24-year-old Wuanyae Juan Chatman.
Fort Worth, TX -- April 9, 2022, a motorcyclist was killed in a single-vehicle accident on East Lancaster Avenue in east Fort Worth.
Authorities say the incident happened shortly before 9:30 p.m. at East Lancaster and Emily Drive, near Interstate 820. Preliminary reports suggest only that the motorcycle's rider and lone occupant was ejected in a single-vehicle crash in or near the intersection.
The rider was pronounced dead at the scene.
No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Wuanyae Chatman Accident on Lancaster Ave in Fort Worth
Reports about this accident currently lack even the broadest of details aside from the tragic death of the motorcycle's rider. However, there's no insight yet about how or why that might have occurred and I hope investigators can fill in those blanks quickly. How fast was the motorcycle traveling? Did it have any mechanical or tire problems? How was visibility in the area? Weather? Road conditions? Was the rider's attention on the road? If not, why not? Could any other vehicles have been involved but left the scene afterward? Is it possible the rider had a medical issue, or was somehow impaired?
These questions and others like them aren't meant to overcomplicate the matter or make accusations. They simply need to be addressed by investigators because without finding out all the facts of the situation some may be inclined to blame a reckless motorcyclist and give it no more thought.
Even when they're the victims, riders don't always get a fair shake after these crashes. I've seen too many incidents where investigators didn't give a motorcyclist the benefit of the doubt and just blamed them due to beliefs that they're all reckless operators. In fact, I handled a case recently where police grossly misinterpreted a witness's account of a crash and blamed the involved motorcyclist on their report, only for us to talk to the witness ourselves and find out what he said didn't match up at all with what they wrote. We had to set the record straight to make sure the right people were held accountable for that accident.
None of this is meant to say a motorcyclist can't make a mistake; unfortunately the news is full of examples quite to the contrary. This might still prove to be another one, but that can't be known for certain unless a more careful investigation is conducted. How many other victims were unfairly blamed largely due to their choice of vehicle? That's a primary source of concern after wrecks like the one in Fort Worth where so little is known and there's so much room to jump to conclusions. Hopefully steps are taken to make sure the dots are properly connected.
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