KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Platte County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal crash that occurred Wednesday in Riverside, Missouri.
The Riverside Police Department was dispatched around 9 a.m. Wednesday to the scene at NW Mattox Road, north of NW 43rd Street.
The sheriff's office took over the investigation around 9:30 a.m. due to the severity of injuries and a commercial motor vehicle being involved, per a press release.
Michael Wolcott, 35, of Riverside, was driving a 2024 Kawasaki motorcycle south on NW Mattox Road at an excessive speed and attempted to pass a tractor-trailer, driven by Robert McCormick, 33, of Lucas, Iowa.
The 2022 International Truck Tractor had started to turn left into a business as Wolcott was trying to pass, and the motorcycle struck the brush guard, according to a preliminary investigation.
Wolcott and the motorcycle then left the roadway and hit a utility pole.
The motorcyclist was taken to an area hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
McCormick did not sustain any injuries.
Police believe a high rate of speed and improper passing were contributing factors to the crash.
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