Florida motorcyclist dies in wrong-way crash

On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Motorcycle Accidents on Monday, July 9, 2012.

A motorcyclist was apparently heading the wrong way on an interstate off-ramp, which caused a collision that claimed his life. The motorcycle accident, which also left a driver and her passenger injured, happened off of Interstate 110 near Pensacola Beach over the weekend.

A 25-year-old woman was driving behind a truck when she saw the truck swerve suddenly. That’s when the motorcycle, operated by a 41-year-old man said to be an experienced rider, came straight at her car. She says that she couldn’t avoid the collision. She and her passenger suffered minor injuries, and the motorcyclist was taken to Baptist Hospital, where he died about an hour later, according to reports.

It’s not clear why the biker was headed the wrong way, but those who knew him say he was a safe rider and was not a drinker. They claim he also normally wore his helmet, although he was not wearing a helmet at the time of the fatal crash, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The driver says that she did not even have time to brake. She and her passenger were wearing seatbelts. They were treated and released from the hospital. One of them sustained a broken wrist, and both suffered bruises and scratches. The cause of the accident is still under investigation, and tests were pending to see if the motorcyclist may have been drinking at the time of the crash.

The man’s friends and relatives, meanwhile, say they are shocked that he could have been doing anything unsafe.

Source: Pensacola News Journal, “Motorcyclist dies in crash while going wrong way on Chase Street off-ramp on I-110,” Kaycee Lagarde, July 8, 2012