Biker dies when motorcycle flips on Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, park says

For the third time in two months, a motorcycle crash proved fatal on the Blue Ridge Parkway, according to the National Park Service.

The latest incident occurred around 4:15 p.m. Monday, July 14, in the Wintergreen area of Virginia, the park said in a news release.

The biker has been identified as Timothy Carl Brown, 68, of Trussville, Alabama.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that Mr. Brown was traveling southbound when he left the road shoulder, veered back onto the road, flipped, and came to a stop,” the park said. “Mr. Brown was transported to a local hospital and later succumbed to his injuries.”

Investigators did not report what caused the motorcycle to veer off the road.

The parkway is popular with biker clubs due to its light traffic and scenic overlooks, but the highway is considered more challenging, the National Park Service says.

“The parkway’s steep grades, unforgiving road shoulders, built-in distractions, limited sight distances and wildlife require riders to be focused and ready,” the park reports.

“Up to 250 accidents involving motorcycles occur on the parkway each year, some with fatalities and over half resulting in serious injury. These accidents include very experienced riders.”

Two motorcycle crashes have proved fatal this year on the narrow, winding highway.

• On June 20, William Greer, 44, of Boones Mill, Virginia, died when his motorcycle struck a car while turning into an overlook, the park says.
• On June 1, Edward Zigata, 60, of Shallotte, North Carolina, died when his motorcycle collided with a deer crossing the road, the park says.

The two-lane scenic parkway winds 469 miles over mountain ridges in Virginia and North Carolina.

This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 7:22 AM with the headline "Biker dies when motorcycle flips on Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, park says."