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With Utah motorcycle deaths up 50% this year, officials stress importance of safety gear; call for increased caution

With Utah motorcyclist deaths up by 50 percent so far this year — including six in the past month — Utah officials on Thursday urged riders to take steps similar to those that saved Peter Ballentine’s life back in 2012.

On a trip back from Jackson, Wyo., “I came over a rise and there were five black Aberdeen Angus cattle in the road.” He managed to miss most, but clipped the last one — sending him and his cycle skidding, cracking its gasoline tank.

“My motorcycle exploded, pouring gas all over me and setting me on fire.