OXFORD – Traffic was reduced to a crawl between Oxford and Norwich Friday afternoon when a serious accident took place on Rt. 12.

Keith Reed Jr., 47, of Norwich, was traveling south on his 2005 Yamaha motorcycle along state Rt. 12 in Oxford at around 3:30 p.m. when he collided into the side of a 1994 Ford pickup operated by Randy Cooper, 43, Oxford, as he pulled into the roadway from Georgetown Road (County Rt. 4). According to police, Cooper failed to yield the right of way.

The bike struck the truck’s front tire and Reed was ejected, hitting the truck before being thrown from the impact. New York State Trooper Jamieson Tefft reported that the truck and motorcycle were engulfed in flames by the time emergency crews arrived at the scene.

Reed, Sherburne-Earlville’s high school principal, was transported to Wilson Regional Medical Center in Johnson City by ambulance because the emergency helicopter was not readily available. He remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit today.

Tefft said Cooper was ticketed for failing to yield the right of way, accused of turning north onto Rt. 12 directly in the path of Reed, failing to see the oncoming motorcycle.