Man hospitalized after being thrown off motorcycle and over a bridge

A 19-year-old motorcyclist was taken to a hospital for treatment of what police described as “serious injuries” Thursday afternoon after he lost control of his bike and was thrown over a bridge in Lower Allen Township, Cumberland County.

Lower Allen Police Corp. Edward Curtis said the crash occurred as the driver, whose name was not immediately available, turned left from State Street onto the 17th Street bridge over Norfolk Southern railroad tracks and lost control of his bike.

The motorcycle struck the curb, Curtis said, and the driver was then ejected from the bike and thrown over the west side of the bridge, landing on the tracks at least 12 feet below. Rail traffic in the area was halted for about an hour as police and first responders worked the scene.

Curtis did not have updated information on the extent of the injuries, but initial emergency dispatches described possible a possible broken leg and head trauma. The motorcyclist was described as conscious and breathing as the crash was dispatched.

Curtis said the circumstances leading up to the crash remain under investigation.