Two motorcycle crashes in two days leave one man dead, two people injured

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By Craig Babstock
Times & Transcript Staff

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Codiac RCMP are asking Moncton motorists to exercise care and caution after two separate motorcycle crashes in two days, one of which killed a Boundary Creek man.

Both collisions involved a motorcycle and a car and in both cases the driver of the car appears to have been at fault.

"We share the road with bicycles, motorcycles and all kinds of vehicles and everyone plays a role in keeping the streets safe," says Cpl. Mike Gaudet. "You've got to be aware of your surroundings, know what's in front of you, behind you and around you."

The first crash happened Sunday just before 7 p.m. on Mountain Road. Police say a car cut across four lanes of traffic, driving from the Ponderosa parking lot into the Kentucky Fried Chicken parking lot. A motorcycle hit the car and the two people on the bike were injured.

On Monday, a west-bound car turned into the Tim Hortons on West Main Street, cutting in front of an east-bound motorcycle. The bike hit the car and the driver flew over the vehicle and later died from his injuries.

Dustin Lee Killam, of Boundary Creek, was pronounced dead a short time after the collision.

Killam was the survivor of a deadly explosion 15 years ago that killed one man and left 80 per cent of Killam's body burned. In May 1993, Killam and Phillip Urwin, 46 at the time, were welding a metal tank used to spread driveway sealant on paved driveways. The tank was in the back of a pickup truck in a metal garage near Killam's residence.

The tank exploded and both men were badly burned. Urwin later died, while Killam endured several months of skin grafting, rehabilitation and intensive care in a Quebec City hospital.

Gaudet says the driver of the car involved in Monday's collision was ticketed for failing to yield the right of way to oncoming traffic and police continue to investigate both crashes.

With September around the corner and school about to start, police hope drivers will be extra careful when school children are walking along streets in Metro Moncton or riding their bikes.

"Everyone's in a hurry to get somewhere, but we're asking people to slow it down and take extra care," says Gaudet.

Police are also cautioning motorcyclists to take great care when they're on the road, because if they're involved in a collision with a car or truck, they'll likely get the worst of it.

"Try to be aware, alert and vigilant," says Gaudet.