Grieving Omaha family looking for answers after motorcyclist killed in crash

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - A grieving Omaha family is searching for answers after a loved one died in a recent motorcycle crash.

They believe a long-time rider, known for safety, is the victim of a hit-and-run on Oct. 4. Police can’t say that for sure just yet.

A motorcycle rider most of his life, 73-year-old Jim Jacobs wore a motto on his head.

“He knows you need to be seen to be safe,” Jacobs' daughter Cassie said.

Cassie holds the helmet her father had on when drivers stopped to help him, lying on the pavement on southbound 72nd Street, near Pacific Street.

Jim Jacobs died about a week later.

A passerby took a photo of the scene from a distance, but Patty Jacobs hopes an eyewitness will come forward with more details on what happened.

“Bright sunlight, beautiful day, busy street someone had to see something. I need to know, just I need to know,” Patty said.

Businesses near the busy intersection likely have security cameras, but the scene could be in a blind spot.

“We’ve canvassed the area for video and we are obviously still investigating it, but we’ve not come across it so any witnesses or anyone who saw it would be very helpful to the investigation," OPD Lt. Danny Flynn with the Omaha Police Traffic Unit said.

Which, hopefully, will lead to more leads into the exact cause of the crash.

“We don’t know what happened exactly so whether they just witnessed it or if they saw something that happened right after the accident," Lt. Flynn said.

Traffic investigators want to verify an initial report the day of the crash, that a dark-colored SUV rear-ended Jim Jacobs' motorcycle, and left the scene.

Jim’s favorite color, High Viz Yellow, and more evident than on the helmet he wore, the family who misses him now wonders how anyone could miss him wearing this.

Hearing Jim Jacobs preach defensive riding since he got her a motorcycle years ago, Cassie believes another driver is responsible for her dad’s death.

“You couldn’t miss him out in traffic in this helmet, you saw him coming from a mile away," Cassie said. “There has to be someone who saw something, anything. Whether he was hit I don’t know it’s just we need answers.“

What family members do know is Jim Jacobs loved working in his garage on anything with a motor, like his 1979 Chevy pickup that he didn’t get a chance to restore.

“It’s real hard yeah, but it will go on, we’ll have to. He wouldn’t want it any other way," Jim’s brother Matt said.

A family drawn closer together by the unresolved death of the man they loved, who loved to ride.

While a hit-and-run is possible, police need more witness information to prove it. Damage on the motorcycle isn’t enough to determine a cause.

CAN YOU HELP?

Anyone who witnessed the crash, or saw a dark-colored SUV leaving, possibly without plats, should call the Omaha Police Traffic Investigation Unit.

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