A Florida Central News article reports that officials with the Florida Highway Patrol are investigating a recent five-vehicle accident in Lakeland that claimed the lives of three people. FHP officials say that the accident occurred around 4 pm on U.S. Highway 98 just south of Rockridge Road when a Chevrolet pickup truck crashed head-on with a motorcycle. They say the pickup was driven by a 65-year-old woman who veered into the path of a motorcycle operated by a 55-year-old man.
The pickup’s driver was killed in the accident, as was the motorcycle’s passenger-a woman whose identity and age was not released by the FHP when the article was published. The 55-year-old motorcycle rider suffered critical injuries in the accident and was flown to Tampa General Hospital in a helicopter. The 51-year old driver of a Ford pickup truck behind the motorcycle also died in the accident. FHP officials say that he swerved to avoid the initial accident, but crashed into the left front of the oncoming Chevy pickup. The force of the collision caused the Ford pickup to land on its roof.
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A humorous and ostensibly harmless trend among some Florida motorcycle riders has also shown a troublesome and negligent side. Recently, law enforcement officials have caught a number of Florida riders operating their bikes without any clothes on. Naked motorcycle riding might present a hazard for distracted drivers, but in some cases these riders are operating their bikes under the influence of alcohol and that is a far greater concern. According to Ocala police, the first incident occurred in mid-September when an officer pulled over a drunken rider.
The police say they noticed the naked rider early one morning on I75 and pulled him over for running a red light. The 45-year-old rider admitted that he had been drinking and a breathalyzer returned blood alcohol levels of .178 and .162-both dangerously over Florida’s legal limit of 0.08. The naked rider told police he had been drinking at a local restaurant. Police found a shirt and shawl hanging around the motorcycle’s handlebars and requested that the rider wear them. Records indicated that this drunken driving conviction was the rider’s fifth offense.
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A recent article published in the East Volusia news discusses how the family of local businessman, motorcycle rider and charity organizer, Bruce Rossmeyer, is carrying on the family tradition of leading a charity motorcycle ride. The family said that the late Bruce Rossmeyer was especially enthusiastic about this year’s huge motorcycle ride to raise money for the children’s healthcare facility, Camp Boggy Creek. Rossmeyer’s family said that part of his enthusiasm stemmed from that fact that this year’s ride would be the 15th Annual Ride for Children. They said another reason Rossmeyer looked forward to this year’s ride was that the benefit was nearing the $4 million mark in money raised for the facility since the event began in 1994.
Camp Boggy Creek is a healthcare facility where children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses receive treatment, live and play games with other sick children at no cost to their families. This year’s Ride for Children is also the first charity ride without Mr. Rossmeyer leading the procession. He died in a motorcycle accident on July 30, 2009, in Wyoming while traveling to the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D. Mr. Rossmeyer’s son and four daughters took their father’s place at the front of the parade.
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A 45-year-old Jupiter man was killed recently in an early morning motorcycle accident after a pickup truck pulled out in front of him. As reported in the Sun-Sentinel, the accident happened before dawn on Indiantown Road just west of Interstate 95 near Taylor Road. The FHP spokesperson, Lt. Frith, said that the victim was wearing a helmet and protective lenses when he was killed. One eastbound lane of Indiantown Road was closed for two hours after the motorcycle accident occurred.
Emergency response personnel say that the victim was eastbound on Indiantown Road about 6:20 a.m. when a 53-year-old pickup truck driver pulled his truck out of the Sierra Square Shopping Center and drove into the path of the oncoming motorcycle.
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Central Florida News reported that a hit-and-run accident on September 6 sent a woman to the hospital with critical injuries, and the woman’s family is pleading with the public for help in finding the driver who fled the scene. According to law enforcement officials investigating the accident, the head-on accident occurred before 3 a.m. and witnesses were unable to provide a positive description of the vehicle involved.
The 35-year-old Orlando victim was reportedly riding her motorcycle on West Colonial Drive near the intersection of Emeralda Drive when a car hit her head-on, resulting in the woman suffering critical injuries. She was treated at Orlando Regional Medical Center and was reportedly alert and talking to family and friends. The Orlando hit-and-run accident victim told family members that the impact sent her flying into the car’s windshield. She said that the car’s driver then reached through the broken glass, pushed her off the hood and then fled the scene of the accident.
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