BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — The Blount County Sheriff's Office said a 69-year-old man died Tuesday after crashing his motorcycle on Calderwood Highway.
The BCSO said Eugene Tice Jr. from Myrtle, Mississippi crashed while riding with his wife, 74-year-old Susie Tice.
The BCSO said deputies responded around 2:15 p.m. to Calderwood Highway north of the Dragon, a stretch of U.S. Highway 129 between Tennessee and North Carolina that's popular for motorcyclists.
According to deputies, Tice was traveling southbound on a 2019 Harley Davidson Trike and lost control as he turned on a left curve and hit a guardrail. Deputies said he was able to ride for roughly 20 feet before coming back onto the road and then over-corrected, causing the Trike to roll and throw the two off the vehicle.
Both riders suffered serious injuries in the crash.
A UT LIFESTAR helicopter arrived at Lanier Elementary School, but the BCSO said medical personnel diverted Eugene Tice via AMR Ambulance Service due to his urgent medical condition. The man died a short time after arriving at Blount Memorial Hospital, deputies said.
Susie Tice is currently in critical condition at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, but is reportedly stable.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation said both riders were wearing their helmets. The BCSO is investigating the circumstances of the crash.