Biker Injured After Sinkhole Opens in St. Cloud

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on December 28, 2019

Bikers in Florida are having a notoriously difficult year. Punishment passes, hit-and-runs, and unusually aggressive drivers in general make up for the majority of incidents involving bikers, which makes it all the more unfair when the roads themselves are the cause of the incident.

Very early on Wednesday, December 18th, a person was on their bike and riding down Old Canoe Creek Road. It was just after 3:30 when this person, who was not named in the initial report, was navigating their bike in an unknown direction down the above-mentioned road when they encountered an unforeseen obstacle. Apparently, shortly after midnight, a 10-foot-wide stormwater pipe had ruptured in the area. It is not clear what caused the rupture, but the consequence was that a 12-foot-deep hole was formed that encompassed both the sidewalk in the area as well as part of the road.

It is not clear how the authorities knew that the pipe had burst around midnight, and it seems that they were generally not aware of the burst pipe at the time when it happened because as the biker approached the area, there was nothing to warn them of the upcoming road hazard. Due to this, the biker was not able to avoid the hole and subsequently fell into it. While they thankfully did not suffer from any life-threatening injuries, it is believed that the biker did experience a fair amount of physical harm, including two very deep gashes on his body.

The reports did not indicate who called the emergency response crews to the area in order to tend to the injured cyclist, but when they arrived the biker was taken from the area to a nearby hospital. It is believed that they are recovering from their injuries at this time.

While the sinkhole was examined, police with the St. Cloud Police Department closed down both directions of Old Canoe Creek Road from 13th Street to Neptune Road. It is not known if the biker is planning on pressing charges against anyone in connection with the incident or just whom they would press charges against if this was the direction they chose to pursue.

Sources:

• Bicyclist falls into 12-feet deep hole in St. Cloud

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.