GSP: Perry man speeding before fatal motorcycle wreck in Macon

A Perry man was traveling at 73 mph in a 55 mph zone Tuesday evening, which led to a chase and fatal crash, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

Stephen Strickland, 23, died about 8 p.m. Tuesday after crashing his motorcycle while he was being chased by the Georgia State Patrol, Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones said.

Trooper 1st Class Willie Wood tried to stop Strickland in south Houston County shortly after 7:30 p.m., but Strickland fled north on Ga. 247 through Kathleen, Bonaire and Warner Robins, according to a Georgia State Patrol news release .

One resident commented on the Telegraph’s Facebook page that she could feel her house shake as the chase passed.

At one point, Strickland crossed into the southbound lanes of Ga. 247 while he was still traveling north, the GSP stated in a news release.

Jones said he was told the chase started near Perdue Farms in Perry and ended in Macon at the point where Broadway, Pio Nono Avenue and Houston Avenue merge.

The motorcycle struck a machine used to lay asphalt on the road, and the rider was embedded in the machine upon impact.

Georgia Department of Transportation shop manager Bobby Garza was taking pictures Wednesday morning of the paving equipment that was parked in the grassy median.

He said he couldn’t initially tell whether there was damage to the asphalt paver Strickland struck.

Evidence flags and spray paint marked the path of the motorcycle as it left the road.

Wood’s patrol car did not make contact with the motorcycle during the chase, according to the GSP.

The Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team of GSP Troop D will be assisting with the crash investigation.

This story was originally published July 22, 2014 at 9:26 PM with the headline "GSP: Perry man speeding before fatal motorcycle wreck in Macon."