L.I. Man Dies After Motorcycle Hits Pothole, Crashes Near His Home

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Police on Long Island believe a pothole is to blame for the death of a motorcyclist.

David DeCarle, 37, apparently lost control of his motorbike after hitting a pothole on Reeves Avenue in Riverhead around 4:30 p.m. Monday, police said.

A passing motorist found DeCarle lying in the road and called 911.

He was rushed to Peconic Bay Medical Center, but doctors were unable to save him.

"I went to the hospital, and he was there," his father, Andrew DeCarle said. "And I rubbed his head. Poor kid."

DeCarle, an avid biker and member of the Road Reapers Motorcycle Club, was alone and about a mile from his home at the time of the crash, said fellow biker Lorenzo Cricchio.

"He wasn't too far away from his house," Cricchio told 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera.

DeCarle was said to be an attentive rider, headed to have a tire repaired when he died.

His father said his family is heartbroken and in shock over the circumstances.

"If you want to go up Reeves Avenue, you can verify that (the potholes)," Andrew DeCarle told CBS2's Jennifer Logan. " ... It's horrendous."

The highway superintendent said potholes are popping up out of nowhere, and it's almost impossible to patch them all after so many winter storms, prolonged cold, thaws and rain.

"I don't blame the township. ... It's just a bad winter, you know, with it being so cold and so much snow and just so extensive," Cricchio said.

DeCarle worked as a cook on the Port Jefferson ferry and leaves behind a wife and baby son.

The Road Reapers Motorcycle Club is putting together a fundraiser. The club has also set up a GoFundMe page.

"We're going to try and raise some funds for him for his wife and the burial, and for his son," Cricchio said. "He was very adamant about being around for his son."

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone who may have witnessed the accident is asked to contact the Riverhead Police Department at 631-727-4500.