A motorcyclist from Calgary died on July 4th while travelling southbound on Highway 93/95 up Radium Hill after he collided with a tractor trailer.

The victim was riding alongside his twin brother on their way to visit a friend at Columbia Lake. The two bikers legally passed the tractor trailer unit, which was in the slow lane of the three-lane section of the highway. Disaster struck when the second of the two brothers completed his pass and cut in front of the tractor to pull into a viewpoint lookout.

He may have looked in his rear-view mirror and thought the truck was far enough back, and kind of darted across, RCMP Cpl. Grant Simpson said. There was nothing the truck driver could do. He had nowhere to go.

The victim was broadsided, sending his motorcycle skidding across the oncoming lane and onto the shoulder of the highway. He was killed on impact.

According to Cpl. Simpson, the surviving brother provided investigators with a witness statement, indicating he had watched in his rear-view mirror as his brother cut in front of the tractor trailer.

I think it was just a lapse in judgment by the motorcyclist, Cpl. Simpson said.

Cpl. Simpson said both alcohol and speed are not believed to be contributing factors to the accident. He does not anticipate any charges. Full mechanical inspections on both vehicles will be conducted in the coming months.