The Times-Journal

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 | DeKalb County's Oldest Newspaper

Classifieds | Jobs | Homes | Autos

Teen dies in motorcycle wreck

By Mark Harrison
The Times-Journal

Published June 8, 2009

An apparent early Monday morning high-speed motorcycle race between the Interstate-59 interchanges in Fort Payne led to a series of accidents leaving one man dead and two others injured.

Joseph Connor Blackwell, 18, of Fort Payne, was killed after his Suzuki GSX-1000 motorcycle hit the back of a transfer truck and flipped over. Fort Payne Police Commissioner Ron Ogletree said it’s believed the motorcycle was traveling at more than 150 mph at the time of impact.

Ogletree said the accident happened around 1:20 a.m. He said Blackwell was allegedly racing against another motorcycle, driven by Jonathon Aaron Farmer, a man in his 20s, of Section.

“Both Farmer and another witness said the two were racing,” said Ogletree. “Farmer admitted to the two runs on I-59.”

According to Ogletree, Blackwell was in the right interstate lane and Farmer was in the left. Apparently, the pair had raced from Fort Payne’s south I-59 interchange to the north, had turned around and were racing in the southbound lane when the accident took place near the 220 mile marker.

During that leg of the race, with both cycles traveling at estimated speeds of more than 150 mph, Blackwell ran up behind a southbound transfer truck traveling around 65 mph, Ogletree said. He said Blackwell apparently either did not see the truck or could not stop or swerve in time to avoid impact, and his motorcycle hit the left rear of the trailer, causing Blackwell to loose control of his cycle, flip over and crash.

The driver of the transfer truck, Kevin Hughes Reynolds, of London, Ky., was not injured in the accident, nor his vehicle damaged. Ogletree said Reynolds observed the motorcycle impact in the truck’s rearview mirror, after which Reynolds pulled his truck over as soon as possible and dialed 911.

After Blackwell’s cycle struck the truck, Ogletree said Farmer apparently locked down the brakes on his cycle, laying it on its side and skidding some 200 feet before coming to a stop in the median. Farmer suffered only minor injuries.

Ogletree said a related accident happened a few minutes after the initial motorcycle crash. James Paty, 58, of Chattanooga, Tenn. was driving a pickup southbound on I-59 and swerved to avoid debris from the initial accident. When he did so, he lost control of his vehicle, left the interstate and struck a tree. He also suffered only minor injuries.

DeKalb Ambulance Service paramedics took both Paty and Farmer to DeKalb Regional Medical Center, where both were treated and released.

Ogletree said alcohol was not a factor in any of the accidents, and he said he anticipates no criminal charges will be filed against any of those involved.

Share | Save | Mail | Print

Photo Reprints
Purchase select photographs from local games and events. New from The Times-Journal and The Times-Journal.

Business Card Directory

Your Fort Payne and DeKalb County reference guide, featuring accounting, automotive, banks, insurance, restaurants and much more!

Subscription Services: Circulation | Home Delivery | Back Issues | Vacation Stops | Newspapers In Education

The Fort Payne Times-Journal | Publisher: J.D. Davidson

811 Greenhill Blvd.NW, Fort Payne, Alabama 35967 | Tel: 256-845-2550 | Email