A 31-year-old Pinellas Park man is lucky to be alive after he was critically wounded on Jan. 16 in a hit-and-run motorcycle crash at around 10:30 p.m. along Park Boulevard.
According to a spokesperson with the Pinellas Park Police Department (PPPD), the biker had been traveling west in the innermost lane along Park Boulevard in the moments before the crash. At that same time, there was another motorist — a 20-year-old male — who was traveling in the far right lane along that same route to the on-ramp of U.S. Highway 19 South.
As both motorists approached the 40th Street North intersection, the motorist suddenly crossed all westbound lanes into the path of the motorcyclist. The driver’s movements occurred too fast for the biker to brake in time to avoid crashing into the rear bumper of the 2003 Mitsubishi Galant. When the vehicles collided, the motorcyclist was tossed off of his bike.
The Mitsubishi driver originally left the scene of the Tampa-area crash, but later returned. Police arrested him for fleeing fled the crash scene. It’s not suspected that believe that the motorist was intoxicated at the time of the accident.
The motorcyclist suffered severe injuries to the lower portion of his body and ended up losing both of his legs in the crash.
Motorcycle accidents on the interstate are most likely to result in catastrophic injuries for the victims. Crashes that occur at high rates of speed tend to leave victims with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) or paralysis — or dead. Motorcyclists also can’t rely on the protective shell of an automobile or a seat belt to keep them safer in collisions.
When injuries are serious, you’ll want to file a claim for damages against the insurance company of the at-fault driver. Your Tampa personal injury attorney can guide you in making your claim for damages to best maximize the compensation you receive via settlement or judgment.