Fifty-seven year old Michael Anthony Urioste died after the three-wheel motorcycle or “trike” he was riding was found alone, without it’s rider, near some railroad tracks at approximately midnight on First Avenue near North Eighth Street. Urioste was found lying in a parking lot and taken to UAB Hospital.

Etowah County Coroner Michael Head said Urioste died several hours later at UAB Hospital. The cause of the accident is unknown, however statistics point to alcohol being a potential factor in the crash.

According to www.rideapart.com, “older motorcyclists (40 years and up) account for 75% of all motorcyclists’ deaths over the past 10-year period with 42-years-old now the average age of a motorcycle rider killed on the U.S. roads in a traffic crash. Also, 42% of motorcycle riders who died in single vehicle crashes in the U.S. had blood alcohol levels (BAC) of 0.8g/dL or higher.” Add to that the fact that motorcyclists killed at night have a “three times greater chance of having a BAC over the legal limit than those killed in daylight.”, and there is reason to suspect that alcohol may have played a factor.

Etowah County Coroner Michael Head said Urioste’s body has been sent to Huntsville for an autopsy.

Alabama has dram shop laws in effect where if you have had a loved one killed as a result of driving under the influence of alcohol, you may be able to hold the establishment that sold the alcohol to him responsible for their negligence. At Ferguson & Ferguson, we have experience in fighting for people who have had loved ones killed in accidents that involve driving while intoxicated, and the responsibility for these accidents often runs all the way back to the business that served the alcohol to the victim.