Lakeland Police Officer Killed in Early Morning Motorcycle Crash

Reports are emerging from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office regarding a motorcycle accident that took place early in the morning of Thursday, January 9th, and resulted in the death of an officer working for the Lakeland Police Department. The officer in question, a 50-year-old individual who had been with the Lakeland Police Department since 2013, was on-duty and aboard their department-issued motorcycle when the crash occurred close to the intersection of Lake Miriam Drive and Lakeland Highlands Road.

It was close to 5:45 in the morning when the officer was on the Harley Davidson motorcycle and traveling to work. Traveling down the northern lanes of Lakeland Highlands Road, they were approaching the intersection with Miriam Drive when something happened to cause the officer to strike the raised concrete median dividing the northern and southern lanes of the road. As a result of this collision, the officer lost control of the motorcycle. It is not known if they were thrown from the vehicle at this time or whether they managed to navigate the crash in such a way as to never depart from the vehicle, but when the bike finally came to a rest it was lying back inside of a northern lane. The 50-year-old officer was, at this point, alive but badly injured.

Emergency response crews rushed to the area to treat the officer. When they arrived, they assessed the injuries as being critical and carefully transported the individual from the area to a nearby hospital. It was while the officer was at the hospital that they were declared dead.

As of this time, not much other information regarding the crash is known. It is not clear if officers are looking for another vehicle that may have been involved in the collision or if they are inquiring into whether or not alcohol or other substances might have played a role in the officer in question losing control of their motorcycle.

It is not known if the officer was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office will be spearheading the investigation into the death of the officer.

Sources:

• Lakeland motorcycle officer killed in crash

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.