Motorcyclist lays down his bike

Posted June 04, 2009, at 11:17 p.m.

BANGOR, Maine — A motorcycle driver suffered minor injuries Thursday afternoon when he intentionally laid down his bike to avoid crashing into a van that had gone through a red light at the intersection of Ohio Street and Griffin Road, police said.

Police Sgt. Chip Hodges said Dean Rouse, 43, of Brownville was traveling southwest on Griffin Road on his yellow 2008 Suzuki DL650K when he saw a white 2000 GMC Safari van driven by Raymond Taylor, 47, of Glenburn go into the intersection, Hodges said. Taylor was heading west on Ohio Street.

Rouse intentionally skidded to avoid the van, but his motorcycle hit a 2004 Ford pickup truck driven by Walter Riegelman of Key West, Fla., which was sitting at the red light, Hodges said.

Taylor went through the red light because he was following Bangor police Officer Russ Twadell on a separate incident, and was afraid he would lose Twadell if he didn’t rush through the light, Hodges said.

The sergeant said Twadell and Taylor had arranged to meet at a store on the northeast corner of the intersection so Taylor could follow Twadell. Hodges would not say why the two planned to meet or where they were going.

Realizing an accident had just occurred, Twadell turned around.

Taylor was not charged in the incident.

Rouse was taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor. He was treated, then released, according to a nursing supervisor. The motorcycle had an estimated $4,500 in damage, Hodges said.

Riegelman, 36, was not injured, but his truck had an estimated $3,000 in damage, Taylor said.