A black Lexus sedan slammed into four men riding Harley Davidson motorcycles on Speer Boulevard in downtown Tuesday afternoon, sending the riders and pieces of the bikes flying in all directions and causing major traffic jams.
“This black car just looked like it came out of nowhere and the next thing you know there are pieces of bike everywhere,” said Jeff Thomas, of Aurora, a longtime friend of the four bikers who was riding behind them at the time of the crash. “It was quite a sight — there’s no way any of them should still be alive.”
Police did not provide the names of the bikers, friends and a relative identified them as Michael McGinley Sr., 45; his son Michael McGinley Jr., 18; Johnnie Baker, also in his 40s, and Byron Waggoner, 46.
The elder McGinley was in critical condition and rushed into surgery with a possible ruptured spleen and other internal injuries, police and relatives said. Baker also suffered serious injuries, including a possible fractured hip, friends said.
All four men were rushed into nearby Denver Health Medical Center.
The crash occurred just before 3 p.m., at the intersection of Speer and 8th Avenue.
Police said it appears the unidentified driver of the Lexus sedan blew through a red light while westbound on 8th Avenue and careened into all four Harleys traveling south on Speer.
“It’s quite a bizarre scene, and we’re fortunate no one died here,” Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said.
The driver of the Lexus suffered non-life threatening injuries and also was being treated at the hospital, Jackson said.
Investigators were trying to determine why the woman failed to stop at the red light, and she could face charges of careless driving depending on what they determine, Jackson said.
“I just want to know why she wasn’t watching out for others and didn’t stop at the light,” said a distraught Debbie McGinley, the wife and mother of Michael McGinley Sr. and junior.
None of the four men wore helmets, but it didn’t appear that any of them suffered serious head injuries, Thomas said. Michael McGinley Jr. suffered a broken leg and scratches while Waggoner was able to walk away from the accident with scratches and minor wounds, Thomas said.
Baker and Michael McGinley Sr. appeared to have caught the worst of the impact, witnesses said. While Baker was responsive, McGinley was thrown about 20 feet and knocked unconscious, he said said.
“He was foaming and bleeding from the mouth, it was really scary,” Thomas said. ”
Visibly shaken, Thomas refused to get on his Harley and drive home saying that after 35 years of riding he may never ride again.
“People just aren’t looking out anymore for bikers,” he said. “At this point, I don’t even want to get back onto my bike.”
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-820-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com
