Motorcyclist dies, 1 injured after crash on Highway 69

Published 5:44 pm Monday, August 4, 2025

CHEROKEE COUNTY — A motorcyclist is dead and his passenger was seriously injured following a crash Saturday afternoon on Highway 69 north of Rusk.

According to Sgt. Chris Williamson with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the crash happened around 12:30 p.m. on CR 1608 when the motorcycle, driven by 51-year-old Owen O’Neill, began to experience a mechanical issue commonly known as a “death wobble.”

O’Neill was traveling northbound in a group of motorcycles when the front end of his vehicle began to shake uncontrollably, causing him to lose control. Both O’Neill and his female passenger were thrown from the motorcycle across the inside lane and into the center median.

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