CLEVELAND, Ohio – A motorcyclist died early Thursday after hitting a cow that was standing in the middle of a rural Medina County roadway, authorities say.

Sheriff’s Lt. Samo Mernik said Gavynn Patterson, 18, of Rittman was driving up a hill on River Styx Road in Guilford Township when he came upon the dairy cow.

He said the cow and other cattle had gotten loose from a nearby farm, and deputies do not believe Patterson saw the animal as he approached the top of the hill.

Mernik said Patterson’s family told officers that he was headed to a friend’s house in Brunswick when the accident happened. The crash was reported at 3:05 a.m. Thursday.

Patterson, who was wearing a helmet, had been going northbound on River Styx Road when his motorcycle struck the animal, which died.

Authorities are

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