Motorcyclist rescued from underneath truck in LaFayette

Quick work by a Samaritan jacks truck up and off of fallen motorcyclist

LaFayette, NY -- A 34-year-old motorcyclist trapped underneath a pickup truck Saturday afternoon in LaFayette was rescued when a resident of the area showed up with a jack and was able to lift the vehicle off the man.

The man, a Fabius resident, was taken to a hospital by helicopter with some possible broken bones, state police said. His injuries did not appear to be life threatening, troopers said.

The motorcyclist, whose name was not released, was traveling north on Collins Road just north of the intersection with Berry Road when he apparently left the green Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle and slid under the white Chevrolet pickup truck, which was southbound, state police said.

The first call to 911 just before 4 p.m. reported the man trapped under the truck. By the time firefighters arrived, the truck was jacked off the man, Pompey Hill Fire Chief Don Kovalewski said.

Collins Road resident Brandon Leroy was first on the scene and grabbed a jack from his truck, which he used to lift the truck.

The man was wheezing and barely able to breath, Leroy said.

“His helmet was pinned to his neck,” Leroy said. “As soon as we got the truck up, he took a big breath.”

Troopers don’t know why the man left the motorcycle, but the motorcycle never made contact with the truck, troopers said. The motorcycle wound up in a ditch on the east side of the road about a hundred feet from where the truck was located.