Police Chase Ends In Deadly Crash On I-45
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ELLIS COUNTY (CBS11) — A family is grieving the loss of a beloved father who crashed a motorcycle after a high-speed police chase. The deadly crash shut down I-45 for several hours Saturday afternoon.
Investigators say 54-year-old Michael David Fincher took off after an Ellis County sheriff's deputy began the pursuit. Fincher got onto the northbound lanes of I-45 where speeds topped 120 miles per hour.
The crashed Yamaha motorcycle lay in the middle of the northbound lanes after smashing into the back of a semi-truck. Traffic backed up behind the crash site for hours as investigators marked the pavement and collected evidence.
Investigators now say it isn't clear if it was the motorcycle or just the license plate that was stolen. Fincher's family did not want to comment on camera, but Fincher's son tells us it's his understanding his father had recently bought the motorcycle.
It also isn't clear why Fincher took off when an Ellis County sheriff's deputy began the pursuit after running the license plates.
Investigators say within minutes Fincher had slammed into the back of a semi-truck.
Wilfredo Lopez works for the trucking company that owns the semi. He says the driver was not hurt in the crash but was understandably shaken up when he realized what had happened.
"He said it sounded like a tire exploded," Lopez said. "Of course tires explode, but he felt the truck move and everything, that's what he said. And he tried to park because he believed it's a tire, but he see everything around the truck, you know: pieces of metal, bunch of scrap."
The Department of Public Safety is in charge of the crash investigation. The Ellis County Sheriff's Department is leading the theft investigation.
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