1 Killed After SUV Crashes Into Motorcycles in Killingworth

A 47-year-old female motorcyclist was killed and a 46-year-old male motorcyclist was airlifted to the hospital by LifeStar after a 16-year-old driving an SUV crashed into them head-on in Killingworth late Sunday afternoon, state police said.

Karen Minutella, 47, of Bayonne, New Jersey, was riding on Route 81 in a group of other motorcyclists, including John K. Healey, 47, of Bayonne, New Jersey, when a teen driving a 2008 Honda Pilot SUV from the other direction struck both motorcycles just north of the Route 148 intersection at 4:35 p.m. on Sunday. Both Minutella and Healey were thrown from their motorcycles, 2003 and 2004 Harley Davidsons, respectively.

Two Life Star helicopters were initially called. Minutella was pronounced dead at the scene and LifeStar transported Healey to Hartford Hospital to be treated for serious, life-threating injuries.

The driver and passengers in the 2008 Honda Pilot SUV were not injured, police said.

Immediately after the crash, another motorcyclist, William Moshka, 48, of Bristol, was ejected from his motorcycle while trying to evade the scene and suffered a minor injury. His bike hit a vehicle that had stopped due to the initial motor vehicle collision.

The State Police Accident Unit is investigating.

Route 81 was closed for several hours, but has since reopened.

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