Motorcyclist loses control and dies in crash in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
A Tennessee motorcyclist was killed in a crash in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park over the weekend.
David Wayne Birdsong, 57, was driving on Foothills Parkway between Walland and Wears Valley, Tennessee, just after 11:30 a.m. Saturday when he lost control of his bike, according to a news release from the National Park Service.
Birdsong then veered off the road and into a drainage ditch, the park service said.
Park rangers and emergency crews with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office and American Medical Response were called to the scene of the crash and performed CPR and “patient care” on Birdsong before he was taken to Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville.
“Birdsong was pronounced dead while in transport to the hospital,” the park service said.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, and the NPS said speed is “believed to be a contributing factor.”
The park service said four people have died in motorcycle crashes in the park this year.
In April, a 20-year-old man from Guatemala died after after his motorcycle plunged 100 feet off the road to Clingmans Dome overlook, McClatchy News previously reported.
In July, a couple was killed in a crash on Foothills Parkway after losing control of their bike and hitting a road sign.
“More than 40% of fatalities in the park are the result of motor vehicle accidents,” the park service said. “Of these fatalities, one in five is the result of a motorcycle accident. Speed, inattention, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs are often contributing factors in accidents.”
