ST. LOUIS • Drivers have reported huge packs of motorcycles swarming the highways around St. Louis, with the bikers pulling stunts, making hand gestures and forcing cars off the roadway.
There has been no official word yet from the state highway patrol or other public safety officials.
The reports started coming in around 2 p.m. from various spots on I-270 and I-70, most recently in the north St. Louis county area. Some claimed to see as many as 800 to 1,000 motorcycles in a pack.
There has been at least one major accident, which resulted in serious injuries and forced the closure of I-270 near New Halls Ferry Road. The injured were flown to an area hospital, according to the state highway patrol. No further details are known at this time.
Brian Johnson of St. Louis said he was heading on I-170 north to Lambert International Airport with his wife when he saw the pack of motorcycles on the other side of the highway.
"There was a good half mile stretch where it was 20 bikes wide the whole highway," he said. "It was hundreds after hundreds after hundreds of bikes."
Johnson said the bikers were not your typical Harley Davidson types; most were wearing racing suits and riding speed bikes like you would see in stunt shows.
He said the first group of bikers were pumping their fists; the second group created a ringlike formation and had bikers riding down the middle doing wheelies.
Johnson said cars were forced over to the shoulder of the road and trying to get off.
There were also traffic tie-ups on his side of the highway as drivers slowed to gawk at the spectacle.
"When they were out around the other cars it was dangerous," he said. "When they took over the entire highway it was like being in a motorcycle show."
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_2b10b7d4-e16f-11e0-bd73-0019bb30f31a.html
There has been no official word yet from the state highway patrol or other public safety officials.
The reports started coming in around 2 p.m. from various spots on I-270 and I-70, most recently in the north St. Louis county area. Some claimed to see as many as 800 to 1,000 motorcycles in a pack.
There has been at least one major accident, which resulted in serious injuries and forced the closure of I-270 near New Halls Ferry Road. The injured were flown to an area hospital, according to the state highway patrol. No further details are known at this time.
Brian Johnson of St. Louis said he was heading on I-170 north to Lambert International Airport with his wife when he saw the pack of motorcycles on the other side of the highway.
"There was a good half mile stretch where it was 20 bikes wide the whole highway," he said. "It was hundreds after hundreds after hundreds of bikes."
Johnson said the bikers were not your typical Harley Davidson types; most were wearing racing suits and riding speed bikes like you would see in stunt shows.
He said the first group of bikers were pumping their fists; the second group created a ringlike formation and had bikers riding down the middle doing wheelies.
Johnson said cars were forced over to the shoulder of the road and trying to get off.
There were also traffic tie-ups on his side of the highway as drivers slowed to gawk at the spectacle.
"When they were out around the other cars it was dangerous," he said. "When they took over the entire highway it was like being in a motorcycle show."
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_2b10b7d4-e16f-11e0-bd73-0019bb30f31a.html
