HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Emergency responders were dispatched at 10:31 am, Friday, June 21, to a report of a motorcycle accident on state Route 76, in the vicinity of Hiawassee Fruit and Vegetable Market.

A male victim in the single vehicle crash suffered chest trauma, and was airlifted to Gainesville for medical treatment. A female passenger was transported by ambulance to Union General Hospital.

The cause of the accident is undetermined at this time.

While the motorcyclists were properly helmeted in accordance with Georgia law, 42 percent of motorcyclists who were fatally injured in 2010 were unhelmeted. According to the Center for Disease Control, helmets saved over 1,500 riders’ lives, although roughly 700 additional lives could have been saved if all riders had worn helmets. On average, states with a universal helmet law, like Georgia, save eight times more riders’ lives per 100,000 motorcycle registrations each year, compared to states without a helmet law, and save three times more riders’ lives per 100,000 motorcycle registrations each year, compared to states with a partial helmet law.