Two separate motorcycle crashes in Missouri within roughly a day of each other have put a spotlight on one of the most dangerous situations riders face: a vehicle turning left across a motorcycle’s path. One rider was critically injured in St. Louis after a driver reportedly turned left from a center lane. Another was thrown from his motorcycle in a Kansas City-area crash involving a left-turning SUV and was later reported in stable condition.
The crashes happened at different intersections and remain separate investigations. They do not establish a broader trend by themselves, but they are a timely reminder of a danger documented in national motorcycle crash research.
St. Louis: Motorcyclist critically injured after car turns left from center lane
The first crash happened Monday evening, November 9, at Winona Avenue and South Kingshighway Boulevard in St. Louis’ Bevo neighborhood.
According to reporting that cited the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, a driver in a midsize car attempted to turn left onto Winona Avenue from the center lane. A motorcycle then struck the car, ejecting the rider. The motorcyclist was taken to a hospital in critical condition. The car’s driver and a 16-year-old passenger reported pain but declined treatment.
Police were continuing to investigate. Initial media reporting identified the rider as 32, while a subsequent police department summary described the critically injured man as 26. Because of that discrepancy, TVBikerDad is not publishing an age until it is confirmed by authorities.
Read the First Alert 4 report on the St. Louis crash.
Kansas City: Rider thrown from motorcycle in left-turn collision
A second crash happened Tuesday afternoon, November 10, near the Blue Ridge Cutoff in Kansas City.
KCTV reported that just before 4:45 p.m., a black GMC Terrain was making a left turn toward westbound I-70 when it was struck by a motorcycle. Kansas City police said the rider was thrown from the motorcycle onto the roadway and taken to a hospital. Although the initial report described the rider as critically injured, the story was updated to say the motorcyclist was in stable condition. The driver of the GMC was also reported stable.
Read the KCTV5 report on the Kansas City crash.
The numbers: Left-turning vehicles are a major danger to motorcyclists
These two Missouri crashes illustrate a collision pattern that safety researchers have been documenting for years. A driver may see a gap in traffic and begin a left turn without recognizing an approaching motorcycle—or may misjudge its distance or speed. The result can leave the rider with little time or room to avoid the collision.
National figures underline the seriousness of the problem:
- 45%: Of two-vehicle fatal crashes involving a motorcycle and another moving vehicle in 2024, 45% involved the other vehicle turning left while the motorcycle was traveling straight, passing or overtaking, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures’ summary of NHTSA data.
- 6,228: Motorcyclists killed in U.S. traffic crashes in 2024.
- 86,887: Estimated motorcyclists injured in U.S. traffic crashes in 2024.
- 16%: Motorcyclists’ share of all U.S. traffic fatalities in 2024, despite motorcycles representing about 3% of registered vehicles.
A separate 2023 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety examined two-vehicle fatal and police-reported motorcycle crashes from 2017 through 2021. It found that a vehicle turning left in front of an oncoming motorcycle was the most frequent type of fatal two-vehicle motorcycle crash, accounting for 26%.
The 45% and 26% figures come from different study periods and definitions, so they should not be compared as if they measured exactly the same thing. Both identify left-turn conflicts as a significant motorcycle safety problem.
See the NCSL summary of 2024 motorcycle safety data and the IIHS research on left-turn crashes and motorcycle safety.
What drivers and riders should remember
Drivers should look carefully for motorcycles before turning left, check again before crossing an oncoming lane and never assume a smaller vehicle is far enough away to make the turn. A motorcycle’s speed and distance can be difficult to judge, especially in traffic or at night.
Riders can reduce risk by managing speed near intersections, covering the brakes when appropriate, watching the front wheels and signals of vehicles waiting to turn, and leaving themselves room to react. Defensive riding cannot prevent every crash, but anticipating a vehicle entering the rider’s path may create valuable reaction time.
Neither of these investigations has established legal fault. The circumstances of each collision must be determined from the evidence and official investigation.
Injured in a motorcycle crash? Know where to find help
A serious motorcycle collision can leave riders and families facing medical bills, lost income, insurance questions and uncertainty about what happens next. If you or someone close to you has been injured, TVBikerDad offers a resource to help riders connect with information about motorcycle injury lawyers.
Visit the TVBikerDad Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Help page.
The page is an information and referral resource. Submitting an inquiry does not hire an attorney or create an attorney-client relationship.
Left-turn crashes are not just another traffic statistic. For a motorcyclist, one driver’s missed observation or misjudged turn can change a life in seconds. Share the road, look twice, and make sure the motorcycle is clear before turning.