Christopher Henry: Bay City Motorcyclist Cut In Half At The Waist While Fleeing State Troopers

Christopher James Henry, 47, was cut in half at the waist after fleeing from Michigan State Police in Bay City, Michigan, on Sunday night. Around quarter to 10 on July 5, Christopher Henry was spotted by police riding through Bay City’s south end at a high rate of speed. Henry was swerving while riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, 1st Lt. David Simon, commander of the state police’s Tri-City Post, told MLIVE.

Christopher Henry was allegedly traveling north on Broadway near McGraw. Michigan State Troopers, on a drunken driving crackdown operation funded by a grant, spotted Henry and believed he might have been driving under the influence of alcohol. The grant-funded operation was a facet of Michigan’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan signed by Gov. Rick Snyder two years ago, according to the State of Michigan’s website.

The police chase was very brief, lasting only about a half of a mile. Lt. Simon said that Christopher Henry accelerated as soon as the troopers turned on the patrol car’s sirens and lights. Henry struck a curb on the side of a party store while fleeing from officers, according to Lt. Simon. After hitting the curb, Christopher Henry struck a utility pole cable and a tree. The Harley-Davidson that Henry had been riding reportedly traveled nearly another two blocks down the road before it finally came to rest.

“When he made his initial turn, (troopers) had to swerve to avoid him,” Lt. Simon explained.

After that turn, police tried to initiate the traffic stop to check to see if Henry was intoxicated.

“He accelerated away from them right away. He continued to Madison, where he took the curve a little bit wide,” Lt. Simon added.

Henry reportedly was fleeing in excess of 85 miles per hour. Lt. Simon said the police chase lasted only 16 seconds, according to WSGW.

Christopher Henry’s crash resulted in the 47-year-old motorcyclist being “cut in half at the waist,” according to the state trooper.

“I’ve seen some nasty crashes, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen one that bad. He hit that pretty hard.”

Special 1st Lt. David Kaiser told reporters that Henry was not wearing a helmet, though obviously a helmet would not have changed the outcome of Henry’s deadly attempt to flee police. It could take up to a month for toxicology reports to come back after the autopsy that was scheduled for Monday. Public commentary on the accident has been brutal, as seen in comments on a CBS Local article.

Christopher James Henry’s family has already been notified of the deadly crash that left the Bay City man deceased.

[Photo via WNEM video clip screen grab]