On Wednesday evening, a motorcyclist became critically injured after colliding with a tree in Cicero. According to a news release issued by the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, the incident was discovered by a passerby on Mud Mill Road near McKinley Road shortly after 9:30 p.m. According to deputies, the individual, who is estimated to be in his early 30s, was discovered in the vegetation in close proximity to the accident. They reported that he was breathing, despite being unconscious. The victim identified by loved ones as Sean Sobotka later succumbed to their injuries.
On other news, a 31-year-old motorcycle passenger passed away in a collision at a rural T-intersection in Hamilton County on Wednesday afternoon. Steffanie Pickett, a resident of Cicero, was killed in a collision that occurred at the intersection of Cumberland Road and 234th Street shortly before 3:40 p.m. on Wednesday. That is situated to the east of the municipality of Cicero. According to Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison, the official cause and manner of death are still pending the results of the postmortem and toxicology. The accident is currently under investigation.
Investigators from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office believe that a black Dodge Journey SUV was traveling north on Cumberland Road and had halted at the stop sign for 234th Street. Pickett was traveling east on 234th, en route to Cumberland Road, while operating a black Harley Davidson motorcycle. At the T-intersection, the right of way is reserved for eastbound and westbound traffic.
The SUV made a left turn to travel west on 234th Street as the motorcycle approached the intersection. The motorcycle’s drive was compelled to decelerate when the SUV entered its path. The SUV is believed to have collided with the motorcycle as it turned, according to investigators. The motorcycle driver and Pickett were separated from the motorcycle, and the SUV overturned and came to a stop on its driver’s side on the north side of 234th.
According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, the motorcycle driver, whose name was not publicized, was airlifted to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after sustaining multiple severe injuries. The SUV driver, whose name was also not disclosed to the public, was transported to the same hospital by ambulance. According to the sheriff’s office, the SUV driver sustained internal injuries and experienced discomfort.
The sheriff’s office announced on Thursday that it is still conducting an investigation into the incident.
