Police say excessive speed was the cause of a fatal motorcycle crash

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – A 20-year-old man was killed in a motorcycle crash on Western Avenue Thursday evening, according to the Knoxville Police Department.

KPD spokesman Scott Erland said in a news release that officers arrived on scene around 8:15 p.m. and found that a motorcycle had collided with a pickup truck turning from Sullivan Road onto Western Avenue.

Erland said the motorcyclist was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in critical condition but died a short time later. He has not been identified.

According to Erland, the motorcycle is believed to have been traveling at an “extremely high speed” when it collided with the pickup truck.

KPD crash reconstruction personnel continue to investigate.

Erland said the incident is the fourth fatal motorcycle accident in Knoxville since Oct. 22. KPD reminds all drivers to slow down, pay attention, obey traffic lights and signals and fasten their seat belts.