David Ian DeCarle, a member of the Road Reapers Motorcycle Club, died Monday afternoon after he hit a very large pothole on Reeves Avenue in Riverhead, New York and crashed his motorcycle. A motorist reported an injured biker and a motorcycle lying in the eastbound lane just before 4:30 p.m. Police transported him to Peconic Bay Medical Center, where he died.
David DeCarle was a cook on the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson Ferry on Long Island.
His club brother LJ James told the Riverhead News-Review that DeCarle, “worked a lot of hours to take care of this wife and newborn boy. He worked and he rode his bike for fun. It was his form of relaxation. He liked to ride. He was great member of the club. He was a big man but never a bully. He was always friendly. He always had a smile. He was always looking to help people. He was a gentle giant.”
According to James, DeCarle was aware of the inexcusable condition of the roads in Riverhead. “He was saying to tell everyone to be careful out there. He was saying to watch the roads; the roads are really bad. So you know he was being safe.”
No witnesses to the crash have come forward. As of Wednesday morning, the pothole that killed David DeCarle had still not been fixed.
DeCarle is survived by his wife Ksenia and his one-year-old son Desmond James DeCarle.
The Road Reapers will hold a fund raising party for DeCarle’s son and widow Friday night, March 20, at 8 p.m. at the Riverhead chapter clubhouse at 1129 Cross River Drive in Riverhead. There will be a memorial visitation this Saturday, March 21, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the McLaughlin Heppner Funeral Home at 336 Marcy Avenue in Riverhead.
David Ian DeCarle was just 36. He deserved more time.
Requiscat In Pace