A fatal crash occurred Friday evening in Lakeland involving a motorcyclist colliding with a pickup truck.
Officials believe that at approximately 3:20 p.m., a 37-year-old man was traveling southbound on Combee Road. He was riding a 2006 Honda 1000RR motorcycle.
Around the same time, a 70-year-old woman driving a 2002 Ford F 150 was pulling out into Combee Road from the parking lot of the Babcock store near the intersection of Combee and Tanglewood Street.
Deputies believe the woman crossed westbound across Combee Road toward Tanglewood Street, where the bike collided with the truck’s passenger side. The impact from the collision was enough to spin the woman’s truck clockwise, so it came to rest facing north.
The man was thrown from his motorcycle by the collision and sustained critical injuries. He later died while being transported by first responders to Lakeland Regional Hospital.
The woman in the truck was not injured in the crash.
At this time, investigators do not believe impairment was a factor in the crash. It was noted that excessive speeds appear to be a factor.
The man was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Motorcycle riders are more exposed when it comes to the road, which only increases their chances of suffering a serious injury in the event of a motor vehicle accident. What might not cause any damage to a car, could deliver devastating injuries to a motorcycle rider. Broken bones, burns, paralysis, and amputations are common injuries as a result of motorcycle accidents, especially when the accident involved high speeds.
Motorcycle accidents commonly occur due to the following:
- Driver distractions
- Failure to obey traffic signals
- Failure to yield
- Unexpected lane changes
- Speeding