On March 14th, at approximately 5:17 p.m., deputies responded to the intersection of Joshua Road and Greenleaf Terrace for a report of an auto accident. Deputies quickly arrived on scene and discovered the two-vehicle crash involved a motorcycle.

Deputies, Fire and Rescue staff, and a witness all attempted to perform life-saving measures on the motorcyclist. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful and the 57-year-old was pronounced deceased at a local hospital. The other driver involved was also transported to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The preliminary investigation, along with crash scene evidence collected by our Traffic Safety Unit, revealed the striking vehicle was traveling westbound on Joshua Road when it veered into eastbound traffic. The motorcycle was hit head-on. While it is currently yet unknown if speed or distracted driving was a factor, we encourage all drivers to be mindful of motorcyclists as temperatures continue to rise.

The motorcycle driver was identified as Michael Pickeral of Stafford. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Mr. Pickeral. This crash is still under investigation by Deputy S.C. Martin. If anyone witnessed the crash, or has information regarding the crash, they are asked to contact Deputy Martin at 540-658-4450.