Media

Motorcycle Passenger Killed On Bill Morris Parkway Today

Release Date: July 10, 2004

Shelby County Sheriff’s Traffic Deputies say high speed and reckless driving caused a deadly motorcycle crash early today.

Deputies say it all began just after midnight when a Collierville Police Officer clocked the motorcycle at 99 miles per hour as it traveled west on Bill Morris Parkway.

The motorcycle was going so fast it was past the Collierville city limits before the officer could pursue it.

Moments later, witnesses said the motorcycle, still traveling at a very high rate of speed, sped between two cars near the exit at Forrest Hill Irene Road.

The driver then lost control. The bike veered across the median and crashed into a guardrail on the east bound lane.

The impact threw the cycle’s passenger off the bike. Deputies say Lemmie Franklin, 55, of Moscow, Tennessee, was killed. He was dead at the scene.

The driver of the motorcycle, Avrick Mitchell, 37, of Memphis, suffered a broken arm. He’s recovering today at the Regional Medical Center.

Deputies say a sample of Mitchell’s blood was taken which will be tested for alcohol and other drugs. Traffic Deputies say charges are pending in connection with the deadly crash.