Friends push to remove Facebook photo from Crystal Lake man's fatal motorcycle crash

CRYSTAL LAKE – Friends and family reeling from the deaths of Crystal Lake man and Downers Grove woman are incensed over a photo that appears to show the grisly scene of their fatal motorcycle crash.

Friends and family reeling from the deaths of a Crystal Lake man and a Downers Grove woman are incensed over a photo that appears to show the grisly scene of the fatal motorcycle crash.

The photo, which has received more than 100,000 likes and 2,300 shares on various Facebook profiles, seemingly shows 41-year-old Matt Summers' severed body laying in the highway near the body of Miranda Valles, 21. Summers and Valles died shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday after Summers lost control of the 2010 BMW motorcycle he was driving at high speed west on Interstate 290 around Mannheim Road near Hillside, according to police.

“People shouldn't be seeing that kind of stuff on the Internet, especially the family,” friend Dave Weiland said. “Friends should not have to remember their friends with that kind of image.”

Weiland said friends and family have reported the photo to Facebook only to receive a message stating the picture would not be removed, but would be limited to those age 18 and older. Facebook representatives did not respond to a request for comment on its policy for removing posted images.

Facebook allows users to report content they feel is annoying, degrading, humiliating or pornographic. Social media site staff reviews the images and issues a response to the person who reported the content.

“We remove graphic images when they are shared for sadistic pleasure or to celebrate or glorify violence,” states Facebook's Community Standards for violence and graphic content.

Friends have started a Facebook campaign to bring the picture down, using the hashtag “justiceformirandaandmatt” with a picture of the two motorcycle riders.

Dee Patel, a friend of Summers' for nearly three years, said the lack of action on Facebook's part has pushed him to concentrate on saying goodbye to his friend rather than having the picture deleted.

“[The picture] is disrespectful to the friends and family,” Patel said. “We are trying to avoid it right now.”

Instead, friends are focusing their efforts on planning a gathering this weekend and raising money for Summers' daughter, Patel said. Ride Chi, the motorcycle group Summers and Valles were members of, has set up gofundme.com accounts for both of the fallen riders.

“He was a great father and an amazing friend,” Patel said.”To some of us he was more than a friend, he was family.”