Two people were killed when the motorcycle they were on crashed going around a sharp curve on South Avenue near Pass Road in Pleasant Valley Saturday night and struck a tree.
The vehicle was being operated by Frederick Eberhard III, 25, of Poughkeepsie with Alysha Simpfenderfer, 25, of Poughkeepsie as a passenger. The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office said Eberhard lost control of the motorcycle around the curve. At this time, unsafe speed is thought to be the primary contributing factor to the accident.
Eberhard was dead at the scene. Simpfenderfer was pronounced dead at MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie. Both were wearing helmets
Sheriff’s Captain John Watterson said speeding is often the cause of motorcycle accidents and operators should be extra careful on the road.
“When you are on a motorcycle and you are driving, you don’t have protection like you do in a car,” Watterson said. “If you are going too fast and the bike flips over, if you hit something with the bike, there is very little protection for you. In you are in a car, you have the engine in front of you and there is more protection around you. In a bike, you don’t have those things.”
The sheriff’s office was assisted at the scene by the Dutchess County Medical Examiner’s Office, State Police and Town of Pleasant Valley Fire Department.
The Investigation is continuing.
