Man flown to hospital after crashing motorcycle during high-speed chase

CALDWELL COUNTY, N.C. — A man was flown to a hospital after he crashed a motorcycle during a high-speed chase with police in Caldwell County, authorities said.

[ALSO READ: 1 dead, another hurt after hit by car during police chase, officials say]

The chase started on Morganton Boulevard, passed by the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office and ended on Charlie Ridge Place when the motorcycle slammed into a tree and shattered a van's windshield.

According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the rider took out tree limbs and struck two parked cars.

“It was so fast and then came all these cops. I said, 'Oh Lord.' I know it was gonna end bad,'" neighbor Tammy Swink said.

Deputies said they started following the rider after spotting a stolen motorcycle traveling along Highway 18.

Residents along Dulatown Road watched in disbelief as the rider sped by their homes south of Lenoir going faster than 110 miles per hour.

“I just think it’s senseless. My father-in-law was right at the mailbox mowing the yard just minutes ago and it could have been him,” said Dwayne Swink.

[ALSO READ: Road to be resurfaced where biker was killed in wreck]

At the time of the crash, deputies said they could no longer see the motorcycle because of the excessive speed, and surveillance cameras at a neighborhood repair shop support that claim.

Video shows the motorcycle first and a patrol car lagging behind.

“They have to pursue them. It’s dangerous, but they ain’t in control. It’s people running from them that’s making it dangerous,” said Dwayne Swink.

The rider was flown to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, but no one else was reported to have been injured.

Deputies have not yet released the rider's name.

Cox Media Group