SYRACUSE – A North Webster man died Saturday in a motorcycle accident on Ind. 13, north of Syracuse. Jeffrey Smith, 56, was traveling north on Ind. 13 when he approached the intersection of U.S. 6, a four-way stop, according to an accident report from the Elkhart Sheriff’s Department. After stopping at the intersection, he proceeded northbound on his 2006 Kawasaki motorcycle. A 2010 Ford sport utility vehicle driven by Richard Eastman, 75, of Roanoke, Ill., was traveling westbound on U.S. 6 when police said Eastman failed to fully stop at the intersection. As Smith entered the intersection, the front of his motorcycle struck the driver’s side of Eastman’s vehicle. Smith was airlifted to Parkview Hospital, Fort Wayne, suffering from a laceration to the chest and a head injury. Smith died from his injuries. Police said Smith was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. Eastman was ticketed for disregarding a stop sign.
