Crime & Safety

1 Dead in Taneytown Motorcycle Crash

Another Carroll County man was seriously injured in an unrelated motorcycle accident in Westminster Saturday evening.

A Manchester man was killed Saturday morning in a single vehicle crash when he lost control of his motorcycle on Kump Station Road in Taneytown, according to a preliminary police investigation. 

According to the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, John William Hill, 56, of Manchester, was riding his 2012 Harley Davidson Street Glide motorcycle westbound on Kump Station Road sometime around 10 a.m. Saturday. Police believe Hill "failed to maneuver a curve in the roadway," causing him to careen off the right side of the road, into the grassy shoulder, where he crashed into a fence post and wire.

Emergency services personnel pronounced Hill dead at the scene. No other people or vehicles were involved in the crash, police said. Anyone with information on the accident are asked to call Cpl. Glen Day at 410-386-5900.

An unrelated motorcycle crash occurred in Wesminster on Saturday night, leaving a Wesminster man in serious condition. 

According to police, Dominic Guy Balassone, 23, was riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle westbound on Route 97 at around 7 p.m. Saturday night.  

Balassone crossed the double yellow line in the center of the road, entering the southbound lane and causing a head-on collision with an SUV. The occupants of the SUV, a 43-year-old Wesminster woman, a 42-year-old Wesminster man and two children, were uninjured in the crash. Balassone suffered serious but not life threatening injuries and was was taken to University of Maryland Shock Trauma via helicopter for treatment.

Police believe that excessive speed and alcohol may have been contributing factors to the crash. The investigation is ongoing and charges are pending. 


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