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BILLY LANE DUI
MANSLAUGHTER TRIAL SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY On September 4,
2006, in Brevard County, Florida, two worlds collided when bike builder
Billy Lane crossed a double yellow line while trying to pass two vehicles.
His world collided with that of 56 year-old Gerry V. Morelock. Lane and a
passenger were southbound on SR A1A in Lane's 2006 Dodge Ram pickup;
Morelock was headed north on his 1983 Yamaha Scooter. The two vehicles
collided. The Yamaha was thrown 64 feet and the truck left the road
knocking down palm trees and striking a power pole. Morelock died at the
scene while Billy and his passenger, 22 year-old Errin Derrick, were
airlifted to the hospital with critical injuries. Their worlds
couldn’t have been more different. Lane is an entrepreneur as well as a
craftsman. A master of bike engineering, he has a BS in Mechanical
Engineering and holds no less than seven patents for motorcycle parts.
He's a published author and a ratings draw on television. Morelock was a
park ranger at the Sebastian Inlet State Recreation Area. He lived with
his mother and provided her with financial assistance. Friends describe
him as being a shy guitarist with a passion for the outdoors. One of the more
disturbing facts of this story is that Billy's BAC (blood alcohol content)
that night was .192. Gerry Morelock's was .133. Based on Florida law,
neither one should have been operating a motor vehicle. Lane had also had
his license suspended after being charged in June with DUI and operating a
motorcycle without a helmet in North Carolina. The suspension resulted
from his refusal to take a breathalyzer test. The charges in that case
were subsequently dropped. It’s been reported that Lane also refused a
BAT after this latest accident and a blood sample had to be forcibly
obtained. .Motorcycle Monster Staff Report |
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