Treat Williams was ‘alert and answering questions’ before motorbike crash death: witness
Treat Williams was alert and answering paramedics’ questions after he was embroiled in a deadly motorbike crash, an eyewitness has claimed.
The beloved “Everwood” star, 71, was riding his motorcycle near Dorset, Vermont Monday afternoon when he was struck by an SUV. He suffered critical injuries and was transported via helicopter to Albany Medical Center in New York where he was later pronounced dead.
Bystander Matt Rapphahn told the Daily Mail Wednesday that he saw the crash take place and believed that the actor would survive the ordeal.
“I saw Treat go flying through the air,” Rapphahn recalled of the collision, saying the star was wearing a helmet at the collision.
He claimed other witnesses quickly rushed to administer aid to the severely injured actor until paramedics arrived at the scene.
“He was totally laid out, and they [first responders] were asking him basic questions, like ‘Do you know where you are,?’ and ‘What’s your wife’s name?'” Rapphahn went on.
“He was responsive. He seemed like he was awake the whole time because, obviously, when they had to move him, you could see he was in a great deal of pain. They loaded him up into the ambulance and drove off.”
“Honestly, I was pretty hopeful that he was going to pull through,” the eyewitness added.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail has named the driver of the SUV as Ryan Koss — a 35-year-old employee of Dorset Playhouse Theater.
The publican claims Koss and Williams likely knew each other as the latter performed in a 2017 run of “American Buffalo” at the playhouse.
The Daily Mail reports that Koss was not intoxicated at the time of the crash.
He was “checked by medical personnel at the scene for minor injuries” and was released at the scene.
A full investigation is now underway.
Williams had long lived near Dorset with his wife Pam Van Sant.
The couple shared two children together.
Eyewitness Rapphahn said the actor was a beloved figure in the local area and was frequently seen zooming around town on his 1986 Honda VT700c motorcycle — the one he was riding at the time of Monday’s deadly crash.
“I’d run into him in town all the time,’ he said. “He’d share some stories. He had such a good laugh. He was a great guy, super nice. This was his home. This was his community.”
He also revealed that a “generous” Williams had once witten a check to repair the home of a local mechanic following a fire.
It’s also been reported that Williams was old friends with Alec Baldwin and had encouraged the “It’s Complicated” star to buy a home in the area.
Williams spent the hours prior to his passing at his home outside Dorset performing yard work.
He took to Instagram to share footage of his property just before his death, with the caption: “Hay Day.”
While Williams was best known for his role in “Everwood,” Williams boasted a long resume that included “1941” (1979), “Prince of the City” (1981), “The Deep End of the Ocean” (1999), “Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous” (2005) and “Second Act” (2018).
Meanwhile, had recently accepted a key role in Ryan Murphy’s “Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans,” according to Deadline.
The upcoming FX miniseries, an adaptation of Laurence Leamer’s bestselling book “Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era,” follows Truman Capote from the mid-1970s until the eccentric author’s death in 1984.
Williams had accepted the part of CBS co-founder Bill Paley, joining a cast that also included Naomi Watts, Molly Ringwald and Tom Hollander.
Meanwhile, Williams’ family have released a statement on his passing to Deadline, saying, “It is with great sadness that we report that our beloved Treat Williams has passed away tonight in Dorset, Vermont after a fatal motorcycle accident. As you can imagine, we are shocked and greatly bereaved at this time.”
“Treat was full of love for his family, for his life and for his craft, and was truly at the top of his game in all of it. It is all so shocking right now, but please know that Treat was dearly and deeply loved and respected by his family and everyone who knew him.”
