Motorcyclist killed in six vehicle crash in Elkhart County

ELKHART COUNTY, Ind.—A motorcyclist was killed in a crash involving six vehicles on June 7.

According to the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office, on June 7, round 12:53 p.m. on S.R. 15, about 4.5 miles south of Goshen city limits, six vehicles were involved in a crash.

The driver of a 2014 Harley Davidson motorcycle, Darrell Lemon, 60, of Elkhart, was ejected from the motorcycle and pronounced deceased at the scene. Police said that Lemon was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

According to police, S.R. 15 was under construction and traffic was reduced down to one lane in each direction of travel when a Ford F150 pickup traveling northbound pulling a lawn care trailer with a riding lawn mower and mowing equipment struck a line of stopped vehicles from behind.

According to reports, the Harley Davidson motorcycle was struck first. The Ford F150 then struck a 2003 Nissan 350 before running off the east side of the road. The 350 driver was treated for minor injuries at the scene.

A 2014 Dodge Caravan was struck by debris from the initial impact, which caused minor damage to the vehicle, police said.

The F150 reentered the road and then struck a 2009 Pontiac G6 from behind, police said. The G6 driver complained of neck pain and numbness to the arm.

A 2018 Honda Goldwing was traveling southbound on S.R. 15 and laid the motorcycle down, causing damage. The 75-year-old driver of the Goldwing suffered a broken left arm, fracture to the left shoulder and possible other broken bones, according to police reports.

The 23-year-old driver of the F150 did not sustain any injuries, according to police.

The crash remains under investigation by Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office Crash Investigation Team.