A car turning onto an access road off Harrison Boulevard was hit by a motorcycle last Friday around 12:30 p.m.

According to witnesses, the motorcyclist had turned onto Harrison from the Weber State University campus headed south. The two left lanes were stopped due to traffic and the right turn lane was empty.

The two lanes of traffic had opened a gap to let a car turn onto the road next to the Chase Bank across from the Weber State Credit Union.

The motorcyclist was in the far right lane driving 20 or 25 mph in the left section of the lane, when the car’s front entered the lane and stopped. The motorcyclist didn’t have time to stop and the front tire hit the front of the car, according to Geoffery Warren, who drove a scooter directly behind the motorcyclist.

According to the Ogden City Police Department, the car was driving 5 mph and the motorcycle was driving about 30 mph.

According to Warren, the motorcyclist was thrown from the motorcycle, and the motorcycle went end over end over the car. The motorcyclist was wearing a helmet.

“That is the highest I’ve ever seen someone do that,” said Khristina Bills, one of the drivers stuck in traffic. “I thought this girl might actually get up, but she went back down.”

According to Linda Hansen, who saw the crash, the motorcyclist had flipped over the car and hit the ground and was rolling around in pain.

People pulled over to try to help and several people dialed 911. Police and fire response vehicles arrived and moments later a gurney was brought from the fire engine. The emergency responders checked the motorcyclist for neck injury and then removed the helmet and checked vitals.

Warren said that people have changed lanes into him, but he hasn’t had too much trouble with people seeing him. “It’s hard for the motorists to see the whole lane,” he said.

According to the Utah Department of Safety’s most recent crash fact sheet, in 2012 there were 50,600 vehicle crashes in Utah, causing 22,336 injuries and 217 deaths. That includes 1,229 motorcycle crashes, resulting in 1,111 injuries and 32 deaths. Motorcyclists accounted for 1 percent of the crashes, but made up 15 percent of the deaths.

In 2012 motorcycle accidents were one of the few crash types to increase in deaths.

More information about Utah crash statistics may be found at the Utah Department of Safety’s website.