Charlotte city worker caused wreck that killed a motorcyclist, police say
A Charlotte Department of Transportation worker failed to reduce the speed of his truck in a collision that killed 81-year-old motorcyclist Patrick Carlos Ramia on Freedom Drive Aug. 9, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said.
Police charged 68-year-old Morris Vanba Massalay with misdemeanor death by vehicle and failure to reduce speed to avoid a collision, according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department news release Thursday.
Massalay’s bond information and court date weren’t available Friday.
According to CMPD, Massalay’s 2011 Ford Super Duty pickup hit the back of Ramia’s 2020 Honda Monkey, after Ramia merged left in front of the pickup, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
Ramia was traveling east on Freedom Drive between Camp Greene Street and Berryhill Road just after 11 a.m., police said.
Ramia fell off his bike, and the pickup hit him again, according to CMPD.
In a statement first reported by WSOC, city officials said at the time that Massalay was driving a CDOT truck and was on paid administrative leave pending the police investigation.
Police urged witnesses and anyone else with information about the crash to call CMPD Detective Matthew Pressley at 704-432-2169, extension 3, or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 704-334-1600.
This story was originally published September 3, 2022 at 8:54 AM.