One man killed when two motorcycles collide at curve on Blue Ridge Parkway, park says

Two motorcycles collided on the mountainous Blue Ridge Parkway, killing one rider and sending another to a Virginia hospital, according to the National Park Service.

The biker who died was identified as Sampson Crawford Boone, 67, of Bedford, Virginia, which is about 11 miles from the crash site.

It happened around 3:14 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, near milepost 90 in the Peaks of Otter area, the park said in a news release.

Boone was dead by the time first responders arrived, officials said.

“Boone was ... northbound in a curve when it appears he and his motorcycle went down and traveled into the southbound lane into the path of an oncoming motorcycle,” the park reported. “The oncoming motorcycle operator attempted to avoid hitting Boone but was unsuccessful. ... The second operator suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital.”

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but it is suspected Boone experienced “a medical emergency” just before losing control of his motorcycle, officials said.

His death is the first vehicle fatality reported this year on the parkway, a 469-mile mountain road that travels through western Virginia and North Carolina.

This story was originally published February 15, 2023 at 12:20 PM with the headline "One man killed when two motorcycles collide at curve on Blue Ridge Parkway, park says."