Two motorcycle crashes on the Cherohala Skyway last week claimed the lives of Oklahoma and Florida residents.
Around 1:52 p.m. Sept. 30, Richard A. Cornell – 72, of Ringwood, Okla. – was driving on N.C. 143 West near the Tennessee state line when he lost control of the 2014 Harley Davidson he was operating. The motorcycle ran off the road between the 1 and 1.5 mile markers, colliding with the guardrail and overturning three times.
Cornell was ejected and was located near the edge of the highway, being pronounced dead at the scene.
Around 2 p.m. the next day, Stephen Joshua Pender – 43, of Orlando, Fla. – was driving a 2020 Aprilla near the 1-mile marker, heading east on N.C. 143 when the bike left the road, striking a tree. Pender was pronounced dead at the scene.