He sped on Graham road, fatally struck motorcyclist turning into driveway, charges say
An 18-year-old man was charged Friday for speeding on a road near Graham and rear-ending a motorcyclist who was turning into his driveway, killing him, according to charging documents.
Brannon Francis Lyon was charged in Pierce County Superior Court with vehicular homicide for the Nov. 15, 2021 collision on 260th Street East that resulted in the death of 37-year-old Michael Crane. According to court records, the defendant has no prior felony criminal history in Pierce County.
Lyon is to be arraigned Dec. 16.
An investigation of the incident indicated that Crane was riding west on 260th Street East and was possibly slowing down in the 4900 block when he was hit from behind by an older Datsun, according to the declaration for determination of probable cause. The collision occurred near Cougar Mountain Middle School, and surveillance video from the school and a nearby residence captured what happened.
“The lights of the two vehicles can be seen traveling in the same direction,” prosecutors wrote in charging documents. “As the taillight on the motorcycle gets brighter due to braking, the headlights of the Datsun close rapidly and the vehicles collide.”
The impact caused Crane’s motorcycle to fall to its side and slide more than 100 feet until it stopped on the shoulder of the road. A Pierce County Sheriff’s Department deputy estimated Lyon was going 60-70 mph when the collision occurred, records state. The speed limit in that area is 35 mph outside of school hours.
Crane died due to his injuries two days after the wreck. According to a GoFundMe started by a relative to raise money for his funeral arrangements, Crane loved cars, trucks and motorcycles, and he was always on the road. According to the page, he was a father to 10 children.
Charging documents gave this account:
Pierce County deputies responded at about 8:50 p.m. to a report of a collision in the 4900 block of 260th Street East. Arriving deputies found a motorcycle and a Datsun on opposite shoulders of the road.
Debris was all over 260th Street, and Graham Fire & Rescue personnel were performing CPR on Crane in the middle of the road. According to the declaration for determination of probable cause, a witness took deputies to the Datsun’s driver. The man was bleeding from his head, and he provided his driver’s license.
The witness told deputies that he ran outside after hearing the crash and saw people administering CPR to one person. The witness said he went to talk to the Datsun driver, who initially told him he didn’t remember anything. According to the probable cause document, the driver started to remember as he was asked basic health questions, and he told the witness he hit “the bike” and then his vehicle flipped.
Investigators believe that after Lyon’s car struck the motorcycle, his vehicle veered left and hit a large landscape boulder that caused the car to tumble for about 50 feet, according to the probable cause document.
This story was originally published December 6, 2022 at 10:30 AM.
