Iraq veteran dies in motorcycle crash night before college graduation
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An Iraq war veteran who was due to graduate from the University of Illinois this weekend died the night before commencement when his motorcycle was hit by a car.
Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup says 30-year-old Paul W. Davidson III died at an Urbana hospital after a car struck his motorcycle at a busy intersection near campus. The driver was cited by police for failure to yield. Davidson was not wearing a helmet.
Davidson's mother, Corrine Davidson, said he had just left a family dinner to get a haircut.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}University spokeswoman Robin Kaler said Paul Davidson was going to graduate with a degree in architecture.
Family members said he served as a Marine combat engineer in Iraq in 2005. He was from Lemont.