LOWHILL TWP., Pa. — For the second time this week, a motorcyclist has died after colliding with a deer in Lehigh County, state police say.
Around 5:20 a.m. Wednesday, troopers were dispatched to the area of Route 100 in the vicinity of Windy Road for the report of a motorcycle crash, according to a release.
State police said the operator of a 2022 Harley Davidson motorcycle suffered fatal injuries after hitting the deer.
The Lehigh County Coroner's office identified the victim as 57-year-old Donald Guldin from Lower Macungie.
Route 100 northbound was closed during the investigation and reopened at 8:12 a.m., the release said.
Also assisting at the scene were the state police Troop M forensic services unit, Fogelsville Fire Department and Cetronia Emergency Medical Services.
A motorcyclist also died early Tuesday when he collided with a deer on Mountain Road in Washington Township, Lehigh County.
That driver was identified as Frederick Brauchle III, 64, of Heidelberg Township, Lehigh County.
The cause of death in both cases was blunt force trauma to the head, the coroner's office said, though police did not indicate if either man was wearing a helmet.
According to new data from State Farm, Pennsylvania is the third-riskiest state for hitting a deer with odds at 1 in 61.
It also has the highest number of claims out of all states, with more than 150,000 claims this year.
Motorcycle crashes, fatalities
In 2023, total motorcycle crashes across the state increased 1.6% from 2022, while motorcycle fatal injury crashes increased 9.4%.
The data from the state Transportation Department revealed 126 fatalities for drivers or passengers not wearing helmets, and 105 deaths for those wearing helmets.
But five-year trends paint a more complicated picture.
Statistics show that in three of the last five years in crashes involving fatalities, more people wearing helmets were killed than those not wearing a helmet.
Of the 238 fatalities in 2023 — including nine crashes where it was unknown if a helmet was being worn — 228 were drivers and 10 were passengers.
State law requires that any person who operates or rides a motorcycle must wear a helmet unless he or she is over 21 years of age or older and has either two years of riding experience or has completed a motorcycle safety course.
In addition, the operator or an occupant of a three-wheeled motorcycle or autocycle equipped with an enclosed cab is exempt from wearing a helmet.
