Article published August 9, 2007
Motorcyclist dies in crash in south Toledo
BLADE STAFF
A Whitehouse, Ohio, man was killed when the motorcycle he was operating collided with a car last night at Dorr Street and North Holland Sylvania Road in south Toledo, authorities said.
Andrew Wiederhold, 22, was pronounced dead at the scene, Toledo police said.
The accident occurred about 11 p.m. Mr. Wiederhold was thrown from the motorcycle. The officers did not say whether he was wearing a helmet.
The driver of the car, Christopher Burrer, 22, of 1106 Steeple Chase Circle in Toledo, was not hurt in the accident. The accident remains under investigation, officers said.
Article published January 15, 2008
Driver found guilty in death of motorcyclist
Jim Wiederhold, left, and Doug Wiederhold, the father and brother of crash victim Andrew Wiederhold, talk outside court.
( THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT )
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By ERICA BLAKE
BLADE STAFF WRITER
The smiling face of Andrew Wiederhold flashes across a Web site created in his memory and hundreds of messages are posted about the young man's life and how he died too young.
Though his family and friends are angry about his death in a late-night crash Aug. 8, they are not angry with the young man charged with taking his life.
Christopher Burrer, 22, of 1106 Steeple Chase Circle, pleaded no contest yesterday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court to vehicular homicide, a misdemeanor.
Originally charged with felony aggravated vehicular assault, Mr. Burrer was found guilty of the lesser charge and faces up to six months in prison and a mandatory driver's license suspension when sentenced Feb. 13 by Judge Stacy Cook.
Prison, however, is not where Mr. Wiederhold's family would like to see the young man end up. "He's already going to have to live with this for the rest of his life. We feel that six months in prison would not be productive," said Mr. Wiederhold's older brother, Doug, who created the Web site www.andrewwiederhold.com.
"We're all devastated," he said. "But we're not blaming Chris."
Mr. Burrer was driving east on Dorr Street, approaching Holland-Sylvania Road, when he prepared to turn left, county Assistant Prosecutor Jeffrey Lingo said. What he believed to be a car approaching was instead the headlights of two motorcycles, Mr. Lingo said.
Though he believed he had enough time to make the turn, Mr. Burrer turned directly in front of Mr. Wiederhold, who was westbound on Dorr, about 50 or 100 yards in front of his friend.
Mr. Wiederhold, 22, of Waterville Township, was pronounced dead at the scene.
"It's an unfortunate situation for two families," said Jerry Phillips, who is representing Mr. Burrer. "It's a tragic situation. [He] thought that there was a car coming toward him and that it was far enough away."
Mr. Lingo said Mr. Wiederhold and his friend were driving in a staggered formation, which is proper for street riding. He added that Mr. Wiederhold had a 0.12 percent blood-alcohol level and that Mr. Burrer had a 0.06 percent.
In Ohio, a 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level is considered drunken driving.
Crash scene investigators also determined that Mr. Burrer was not exceeding the 45 mph speed limit on Dorr.
"It's just something that he'll live with everyday. He'll wake up and say, 'Why did I make that turn? Why wasn't I five minutes later? Why wasn't I five minutes earlier?' " Mr. Phillips said. "It's just something that you live over and over again."
Yesterday, after the hearing, Mr. Wiederhold's family maintained that they had no ill will toward Mr. Burrer. Mr. Wiederhold's father, Jim, said his son was an avid fisherman and golfer and also greatly enjoyed motocross racing. He said he was relatively new to street motorcycles and that he begged him at one point not to get a road bike.
Mr. Wiederhold's family said he was the focal point of any gathering and that he could "literally light up the room."
"No one is to blame. It was an innocent fluke accident. We thank God that he did not suffer any pain. In just a moment's time, our beloved Andrew was gone," Doug Wiederhold wrote on the memorial Web site.
"It'll never make sense to any of us, but it hurts very much to lose such a great person. The only thing we can do is be glad for the memories we have with Andrew."
Contact Erica Blake at:
eblake@theblade.com
or 419-213-2134.
Please note Mr. Burrer alcohol level was taken 2 HOURS after the crash!!
