Motorcyclist Dies After Hitting Deer, Passenger In Critical Condition

MIDDLETOWN, CT — A motorcyclist died and his passenger was in critical condition after the vehicle collided with a deer over the weekend in Middletown, according to police.

Officers responded around 5:45 p.m. Saturday to Randolph Road in the area of Zoars Pond, where 53-year-old Michael Thiede was pronounced dead, police said. His passenger, a 49-year-old woman, was taken to Hartford Hospital with serious injuries to her chest and upper arm, according to police.

Witnesses reported the two were traveling west on Randolph Road on a 2011 Harley Davidson when a deer jumped out of a field at Zoars Pond and, with no time to react, the motorcycle struck the animal and hit the guardrail, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 860-638-4061.