Ohio County, Ky — March 14, 2025, Nicolas Payne was fatally injured as the result of a work truck accident that happened at 1:15 p.m. on S.R. 1414.

According to initial details about the accident, it happened in the area of the State Route 54 and State Route 1414 intersection.

Investigators said that Nicolas Payne of Hartford was on a motorcycle traveling along southbound S.R. 1414. A Kenergy truck was reportedly going northbound. Somehow, the vehicles ended up colliding.

As a result of the collision, Nicolas Payne was fatally injured. There were no other reported injuries. Additional details are unavailable.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

One of my biggest concerns with any motorcycle wreck is whether or not investigations are being taken seriously. The unfortunate reality is a lot of people are biased against motorcyclists. Instead of waiting for all the facts, some just jump to conclusions and assume the rider was being reckless. Even authorities can fall into this trap, and that can create issues when a victim's loved ones are looking for clear answers.

For example, I had a case not long ago where authorities ended up falsely blaming a motorcyclist for a serious crash. Their statements to the family said a witness saw the victim speeding and weaving through traffic before hitting the back of a truck. The family was shocked because they knew their loved one was a safe driver. Their instincts told them the authorities made a mistake, and they asked us to look into things. As it turned out, their instincts were right.

During our investigations, we spoke to the witness authorities mentioned. They, too, were shocked at the reports. They never told the investigating officer the motorcyclist was being reckless. All they said was that the victim passed them on the left, then merged back to the right—a perfectly normal, safe maneuver. It was the other driver who recklessly cut off the motorcyclist. The investigating officer, though, was inexperienced, and he let his bias get in the way. He completely misinterpreted the witness statements, failed to look at the forensic evidence, blamed the motorcyclist, and moved on without so much as a second thought.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting that happened here. There isn't any clear evidence one way or the other of what led to this crash. My point is that the authorities in that example made a mistake, but it was only caught because there was a second set of eyes there to ensure important details didn't slip through the cracks. Thanks to that, that family got the truth and were able to pursue more appropriate avenues to getting the resolution they deserved.

I've handled many situations where our investigations led to corrections like that. There have also been times they confirmed that police were thorough and investigated things professionally and carefully. And sometimes, there were even unusual, unpredictable circumstances authorities just happened to overlook. At the end of the day, it's about letting evidence—not bias—tell the story. That way, the victim's family can at least be sure they're getting the answers they deserve.