Delta man dies in motorcycle wreck in Glenwood Springs

GLENWOOD SPRINGS — A Delta man was killed at shortly after 2 p.m. on Saturday when the motorcycle he was riding crashed into a RFTA bus on Grand Avenue in south Glenwood Springs.

The motorcycle driver, Lance Alan Curry, 49, was northbound on Grand Avenue behind the bus, which was stopped to pick up passengers at a stop near the First Bank, 2014 Grand and the Taco Bell restaurant at the corner of 19th and Grand.

According to Glenwood Springs Police Lt. Bill Kimminau, Curry is believed to have tried to get out from behind the stopped bus, but as he accelerated he clipped the left-rear corner of the bus and was thrown from his motorcycle.

Curry was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, Kimminau said.

The motorcycle, Kimminau said, slid on the pavement northbound, past the front of the bus, but Curry apparently fell under the wheels of a car in the left lane heading north,

The driver of that car apparently was unable to stop before running over Curry, Kimminau said. The driver then pulled immediately in front of the still stationary bus, driving into the bank parking lot before getting out to see if he could help.

Kimminau said an ambulance apparently was close by, because Curry had been picked up off the pavement and taken to Valley View Hospital before police arrived. He was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time after the wreck

A trooper with the Colorado State Patrol arrived a short time later than Glenwood Springs police officers, but a CSP report on the accident is not expected to be available for a matter of a week or more.

Kimminau said that from the photos taken at the scene, and from witness statements, it appears that Curry was not dragged by the car after being hit, and that he remained lying on the pavement next to the bus when emergency medical help arrived.

The driver of the car was not at fault, Kimminau reported, explaining that the accident was deemed to be the fault of the motorcyclist.

No one other than the driver was on the motorcycle at the time of the wreck, Kimminau said.