BIKER DEAD, TWO IN HOSPITAL AFTER SLEW OF CRASHES ON FRIDAY THE 13TH

POLICE IN HALDIMAND-NORFOLK RESPONDED TO NUMEROUS COLLISIONS

The Friday the 13th motorcycle rally that brought tens of thousands of people to Port Dover also saw numerous collisions on nearby roads, including a fatal crash that claimed the life of a motorcyclist just outside of town.

Ontario Provincial Police say a vehicle heading west on St. Johns Road East hit a biker riding north on Blueline Road around 1:15 p.m.

The rider was taken to hospital and later died of their injuries. The driver of the car was unhurt.

Police closed stretches of both roads for their investigation.

No information had been released about the victim as of print deadline.

Acting OPP Sgt. Ed Sanchuk said police responded to three other collisions in the Port Dover area throughout the day, with minor injuries reported.

"The roadways are packed and we have a backlog of traffic," Sanchuk said from Port Dover on Friday afternoon.

In a change to Friday the 13th planning this year, no shuttle service was offered for visitors, who used to be able to park at the outskirts of town and be bused in. Vehicles were instead allowed to enter alongside the scores of bikes visiting for the day, adding to the congestion.

Sanchuk said motorcycle-related crashes had also been reported in Wellington and Oxford counties, while in Haldimand, two riders were airlifted to hospital after separate collisions the afternoon of May 13.

The first of the two serious crashes happened on Riverside Drive between Rainham Road and East Quarter Line Road in Nanticoke.

It was a single-vehicle collision, according to Cst. Mary Gagliardi of Haldimand OPP, and the victim was taken to an out-oftown hospital by an Air Ornge helicopter.

Also in Haldimand, a biker was airlifted to hospital with what Gagliardi called "life-altering injuries" after a crash on Cheapside Road near Hagersville.

No other vehicles were involved, police said.