James H. Goodmote Jr. was out enjoying a weekend motorcycle ride down State Route 212 when a sudden turn of events cut his life short. The 73-year-old Rootstown resident was traveling eastbound on Saturday afternoon when an oncoming car swerved out of its lane, creating a collision that left his family and friends grieving.
The crash happened around 12:30 p.m. in Warren Township, located in Tuscarawas County. State troopers reported that Goodmote was riding along the two-lane road when a westbound sedan crossed left over the center line directly into his path.
The force of the head-on impact threw the motorcycle off the right side of the road, where it struck a steel guardrail. Emergency crews rushed to the scene, but Goodmote had already succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead right there on the highway.
The sedan involved in the wreck was driven by a 32-year-old man from Dover. After hitting the motorcycle, the car lost control, spun across the left side of the roadway, and smashed into the opposite guardrail.
First responders pulled the Dover driver from the wrecked car with severe injuries. Paramedics rushed him to Aultman Hospital for urgent treatment. State troopers later noted that the 32-year-old was not wearing a seatbelt during the crash.
Investigators from the Ohio State Highway Patrol believe driver impairment played a major role in why the sedan swerved into oncoming traffic. The crash forced road crews to close State Route 212 for nearly three and a half hours while investigators mapped the scene. Multiple agencies, including local fire departments and county deputies, assisted at the site.
For the people of Rootstown who knew Goodmote, the sudden loss has turned a quiet Saturday into a day of deep sorrow. Those close to him are now left holding onto memories of a man whose life ended far too quickly on a stretch of country road.
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