ELYRIA – An Elyria motorcyclist died overnight following an accident in which he struck a traffic sign on Hilliard Road.

William C. Dalton Jr., 56, was conscious at the scene when police responded to reports of a crash at 6:22 p.m. Wednesday. The man, who police said sustained injuries to his left leg, was first taken to EMH Elyria Medical Center and later flown to Metro Health Medical Center in Cleveland where he was pronounced dead at 12:38 a.m. today. Dalton was not wearing a helmet, police said.

Police said officers at the scene detected a strong odor of alcohol on Dalton. It was not immediately known how fast he was traveling at the time of the crash, Elyria Police Sgt. Lee Frank said.

Initial investigation of the crash revealed that Dalton was westbound on Hilliard Road on his 2003 Harley Davidson motorcycle when he apparently crossed over into the eastbound lane, left the road, and hit a traffic sign east of Vermont Street.

There were no witnesses to the accident, and no other vehicles were involved, Frank said.
Police are asking that anyone with information relating to the crash contact them at (440) 323-3302.

See Friday’s Chronicle for more on this story.