A 30-year-old Arnold motorcyclist was killed Sunday (July 31) in a crash on I-55 near Herculaneum after reportedly traveling at speeds more than 150 mph, running off the interstate and hitting the median cable barrier, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reports.
The motorcyclist, Harold M. Frick, was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:05 p.m. by Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District personnel.
The crash occurred on southbound I-55 near the 178 mile marker, just south of the Herculaneum exit. Frick was riding a 2000 Honda CVR 600 motorcycle and was wearing a helmet.
According to the highway patrol, Frick attempted to pass a vehicle by traveling on the narrow left shoulder of I-55. Frick lost control, drove off the roadway, struck the median cable barrier and overturned, according to the report.
Before the crash, two Jefferson County deputies spotted Frick traveling at a high rate of speed and attempted to stop him, Lt. Gary Higginbotham of the Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
The first deputy was traveling southbound just north of the Pevely exit when Frick passed him. “He estimated his speed at 120+ mph,” Higginbotham said. “He attempted a traffic stop.”
The deputy turned on the lights and siren on his patrol car. Higginbotham said Frick did not pull over and the deputy didn’t pursue the motorcycle.
A few miles down the highway, a second sheriff’s deputy who also was traveling southbound on I-55 reported that Frick almost crashed into the rear of his patrol car, Higginbotham said. The second deputy estimated the motorcycle’s speed at more than 150 mph.
“He also attempted a traffic stop by turning on his lights and siren,” Higginbotham said.
The motorcyclist didn’t stop.
Higginbotham said a witness on the scene confirmed that the deputies were not in pursuit of the motorcyclist at the time of the crash. “They showed up on the scene a good minute later,” he said.
A sheriff’s office internal affairs investigation is ongoing.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash.