A recovery operation is underway on the Ohio River after a motorcyclist fell into the water during a crash Saturday night on the Taylor Southgate Bridge.
The Newport Fire Department told LINK’s media partner, WCPO, the crash happened around 8 p.m. between a motorcycle and another vehicle. The motorcyclist went off the bridge and into the water.
Crews continued searching the Ohio River for the driver throughout Sunday; as of Monday morning, that person still has not been recovered.
Newport police said it appeared the driver of the motorcycle was traveling north when they collided with the rear of a vehicle stopped in traffic.
Police said the driver was “ejected over the side of the bridge.”
Newport police said investigators are continuing to gather information about the events leading up to the crash, because there still is no immediately-known cause.
The fire department said several people jumped into the water to try and help the motorcyclist, but they were pulled out by law enforcement. Water search and rescue teams “searched all night” for the motorcyclist, but they were unable to locate them. The crash also shut down the Taylor Southgate Bridge for hours.
The Boone County Water Rescue Team posted to social media Sunday morning advising boaters that an “ongoing active search operation” was underway. They asked that any boaters on the Ohio River stay toward the Kentucky side.
“We kindly ask that all boaters remain on the Kentucky side of the river and idle through the downtown Cincinnati area until further notice,” they wrote on Facebook.
Newport Fire officials could not say that the motorcyclist was dead, but Boone County Water Rescue told us Sunday evening that their efforts have shifted to a recovery operation.
Newport Fire officials said crews from Cincinnati, Covington and Boone County assisted Saturday night.