The Cotton Ball claims another

[Trip]

http://www.wate.com/global/story.asp?s=10657935

TALLASSEE (WATE) -- State troopers are investigating a fatal motorcycle crash Tuesday afternoon on the Blount County stretch of Highway 129 known as "The Tail of the Dragon."

A Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesperson says just before 1:30pm 49-year-old Tamara Fuller of Austin, Texas was riding a 2008 Harley Davidson Sportster southbound on Highway 129.

The trooper said Fuller was coming out of a right hand turn and going into a left hand turn when she lost control. Fuller crossed over the center line and into the northbound lane and went into a ditch. The trooper said Fuller drove out of the ditch across both lanes and went down a steep embankment on the other side of the road.

He said rescuers had to use ropes to reach her. They rushed Fuller to Blount County Memorial Hospital, but it was too late.

The Dragon has 318 curves in 11 miles and is a popular draw for motorcyclists from around the world. But Tuesday's crash is the second fatality there in less than a month.

It was also the scene of a fatal motorcycle crash on June 27 that claimed the life of a Miami, Florida man.

Riders who spoke with 6 News after that crash said it's the thrill of The Dragon that drives their attraction.

"If it was named the cotton ball, I wouldn't be as attracted to come ride it," motorcyclist Adam Powell said.

Been too many deaths up there this year, but I am totally calling it the cotton ball from now on.

RIP rider.