Eureka Police Dept. Press Release:
On August 30th, at approximately 6:13 PM, the Eureka Police Department and Humboldt Bay Firefighters responded to the 2400 block of Broadway Street to the report of an injury traffic collision. Upon arriving at the scene, emergency personnel found a motorcycle that had collided with two pedestrians. The motorcyclist and the pedestrians were transported to the hospital for treatment of injuries.
Witnesses and involved parties to the collision reported that Leslie-Dawn Shanklin, of Eureka, and Kristine Mendez, of Eureka, who was carrying her juvenile son, were standing in the center turn lane in the 2400 block of Broadway Street, while outside a crosswalk. Shanklin and Mendez were waiting for southbound traffic on Broadway Street to clear, so that they could cross to the west sidewalk. April Sproule, of Fortuna, drove a Toyota Avalon southbound in the right lane on Broadway Street while being followed by Kenneth Gobbin of Santa Rosa who was driving a Yamaha Virago motorcycle. Sproule stopped the Toyota in the right southbound lane and waved at Shanklin and Mendez to cross the roadway. Gobbin not knowing why Sproule stopped, drove the Yamaha into the left lane. Shanklin and Mendez who carried her juvenile son entered the southbound left lane in front of Gobbin. In an attempt to avoid colliding with the pedestrians, Gobbin swerved and applied the brakes to the motorcycle which caused him to be ejected. The motorcycle slid out of control across the roadway and collided with Mendez and her son. The motorcycle had not collided with Shanklin due to her moving out of the path of the motorcycle.
Shanklin was transported to Saint Joseph Hospital by ambulance as a precaution due to her being twenty-three weeks pregnant.
Gobbin, Mendez, and her son were also transported to Saint Joseph Hospital due to sustaining numerous abrasions. Gobbin, Mendez, and her son were held at Saint Joseph Hospital for observation and were later released when it was determined that none of them had sustained any major injuries.
The involved parties were found not to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The investigation into this collision is still ongoing.