A Florida man, 39, was involved in a fatal auto accident when he was riding a 2009 Suzuki motorcycle in Lakeland on Wednesday, August 7, 2013. The motorcyclist was heading north on Martin Luther King Boulevard at 7:19 a.m., when he entered the intersection with Emma Street. His motorcycle suddenly collided with a 2000 red Chevrolet pickup truck driven by a man, 48, of Lakeland, who was traveling east on Emma Street.
The motorcycle hit the pickup truck on its right side in the northbound inside lane with such force that the truck spun and then turned over on its driver side. After the collision, the motorcycle rider was transported to Lakeland Regional Medical Center via EMS as a trauma alert with life threatening injuries.
At the hospital, the man subsequently died of his injuries at about 8:24 a.m. He was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. The pickup truck driver, who was wearing a seatbelt, was released from the scene after receiving treatment for only minor injuries. The intersection was shut down for about four hours.
If a court were to find that the driver of the pickup truck in this incident had not operated his vehicle with reasonable care and that this breach of care resulted in the accident that killed the motorcycle rider, the driver of the pickup might be found to be negligent and therefore liable for the injuries caused to the motorcyclist’s survivors. An attorney representing the survivors might be able to win an award of damages in a wrongful death case for loss of companionship, pain and suffering, loss of support as well as for medical and funeral expenses. In cases of extreme negligence, the court may also award punitive damages.
Source: The Daily Ridge, “Polk Man Killed In Motorcycle Accident”, August 07, 2013