Two men are dead following separate motorcycle crashes Wednesday in the Lower Mainland.
According to RCMP, a 34-year-old man was killed mid-afternoon in a crash at the corner of Griffiths Drive and 14 Avenue in Burnaby.
Police said that the driver was travelling northbound on Griffiths Drive when he lost control and struck a tree at about 6:30 p.m.
Another crash at the corner of Como Lake Avenue and Porter Road in Coquitlam just after 5 p.m. claimed the life of another man when his motorcycle and an SUV collided. Both the driver and passenger of the SUV were unhurt.
The BC Coroner’s Service confirmed a Coquitlam man in his 50s was killed in the collision.
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Police said they were still trying to determine a cause.
“There is no overt evidence of criminality, such as impairment or really excessive speed or distraction,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin.
“It’s absolutely a tragic incident.”
McLaughlin warned both driver and motorcyclists to be extra careful on the roads in the summer months.
“In these hot drier months we see a peak in motorcyclists on the road… and we also see an increase in collisions,” he said.
“We’re really asking drivers to take a second look and watch out for riders.”
But McLaughlin said that some of the onus was on motorcyclists themselves, urging them to wear protective gear even when going on short rides.
“Certainly for any collision you want the best protection you can have… andin the moment that it happens you can’t make that decision to put on the gear,” McLaughlin said.
“Motorcyclists are just more vulnerable.”
