A Sergeant First Class assigned to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, died in an off-duty PMV-2 mishap 31 October 2020 in Clarksville, Tennessee, at 1450 local. The Soldier was operating his motorcycle with a civilian passenger when a tire detached from another vehicle and struck him. The Soldier and passenger were transported to a local health care center via Life Flight, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. The passenger’s current status is unknown. The Soldier was wearing all required personal protective equipment and completed all mandatory Motorcycle Safety Foundation courses. Speed and alcohol and drug use are unknown at this time.

Since 2016, the Army has lost an average of 27 Soldiers a year to off-duty PMV-2 mishaps. This mishap was the fifth off-duty PMV-2 fatality of FY21 and above the number of PMV-2 fatalities for the same time period last year.

-Road hazards are a common cause of motorcycle accidents. Things that have little effect on a car, such as debris, uneven road surfaces, small objects or wet pavement, can cause a motorcycle to crash. Motorcyclists should understand what constitutes a hazard, be alert for such dangers and take precautions to avoid them.

-Debris or objects in the road, such as parts of tire treads, items fallen from trucks (furniture, tools, boxes), branches or rocks, are more hazardous to motorcycles than cars. Not only can they cause a crash, but the object itself can hit and seriously harm the rider.

-When you are riding your motorcycle, always remain vigilant. Anticipate that motorists, road debris and flying objects will come at you because they do! Keep your eyes and your ears open and expect the worst so you can prevent it.

-Do not tailgate trucks or trailers hauling materials, and always keep enough room to avoid debris and obstacles on the road.

-Do not ride directly next to vehicles, and try to keep a 2 to 3 second distance between you and any cars in front of you.

-If you see debris or something flying at you, do not panic! Try to calmly process what is happening and take evasive maneuvers. If you panic, you may overreact and crash your motorcycle instead of maneuvering around the hazard calmly.

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