Arizona police said that a Covington, Ky., musician was traveling on his ’03 Harley Davidson on westbound Interstate 10 Sunday night, when he hit a large piece of tire debris from a commercial vehicle.
Cary Jaquish, 32, was traveling just west of Phoenix, in the town of Buckeye, Ariz., and was wearing a full-face helmet, protective jacket and boots, when his motorcycle went down and he was ejected onto the highway just after 10 p.m. EDT.
According to the Arizona State Police, he sustained very serious injuries and was flown from the scene to the Saint Joseph's Medical Center in Phoenix where he later died. Police said that neither excessive speed nor impairment was suspected factors in the collision.
ASP Officer Robert Bailey said that the pavement gets very hot in Arizona and semi-truck tire blowouts—like the one that Jaquish hit with his motorcycle—are a "common issue" for them.
Jaquish was part of the troupe from Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, which was traveling from Phoenix to Fresno, Calif. His girlfriend, also part of the circus troupe, was traveling just behind him at the time of the collision.
According to his MySpace profile, Jaquish was a freelance bass player. And he boasted about his current gig with the circus.
"Currently he can be found touring the U.S. with Ringling Bros. & Barnum Bailey Circus, playing over 450 shows a year."
A master of music, Jaquish played rock, jazz, musicals and "any gig he can get," he said in his MySpace profile.
