ROME TOWNSHIP -

Neither speed nor mechanical failure are the likely causes of a one vehicle accident last week that took the life of a Crown City man.

Paul Ritchie, 60, was killed Thursday afternoon when the 2001 Harley Davidson motorcycle he was riding left the roadway on State Route 7 and struck a tree.

The accident occurred one-tenth of a mile north of milepost 8.

"The speed was not tremendous and there was nothing mechanical with the bike," Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Carl Roark said.

"It could have been that he had trouble negotiating a curve because there is a pretty good curve there in that area."

Alcohol was ruled out as a factor at the time of the crash.

Ritchie was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lawrence County Coroner's Office.