Motorcyclist killed in crash on Route 7
A 19-year-old motorcyclist died following a crash with a car in Bailey’s Crossroads on March 10.
Alejandro Portillo, of Arlington, was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
He was riding a 1996 Yamaha on Leesburg Pike shortly after 11 p.m. when he struck a 2000 Acura sedan.
Detectives with the Fairfax County Police Department’s Crash Reconstruction Unit determined the Acura was traveling westbound on Leesburg Pike attempting to make a left turn onto Glen Carlyn Drive when it was struck on the passenger side by the motorcycle, which was traveling eastbound on Leesburg Pike in the left through-lane.
The driver of the Acura remained on the scene and was uninjured.
Anyone with information about this crash should call the Crash Reconstruction Unit at 703-280-0543.
This is turning out to be a bad year for crashes in Fairfax County. So far in 2024, there have been eight traffic crash fatalities. There were three by this point in 2023.
A few observations:
-19 is too young to be on a motorcycle
-cars making unprotected left turns and not seeing motorcycles is a leading cause of motorcycle wrecks
-Bailey’s is a dangerous place to drive due in part to a lack of enforcement… especially dangerous on the weekend, especially at night, especially at night on the weekend
-in this case, loud pipes could have saved a life. A 1996 Yamaha makes practically no sound
None of the above blame the driver or the motorcyclist and some wrecks are (nearly) unavoidable.
In this case, many risk factors were apparent: 19 year old on a quiet motorcycle in baileys on a weekend night going through an intersection with (I assume) an unprotected left turn from the opposite direction. All this with increasing traffic infractions coinciding with a lack of traffic enforcement.
Was he wearing a helmet? Teach kids and others to count the motorcycles on the road so looking out for them becomes a habit.
He always wears a helmet, he always careful and never was a fan of speed, I met him the first time while leaving the gym on my super sport bike and his words were “be careful out there and ride safe, someone always waiting for you to come back home” that’s how I met a gym buddy, and a motorcycle friend.
Left turners are sudden death when on 2 wheels. I parked my bike almost 10 years ago because the drivers around here are so awful.
Too bad this kid didn’t get a second chance…
I know the 19 year old. My heart goes out to his family and to the Acura driver. ❤️