Motorcyclist Dies in Crash with HART Bus in Tampa

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on December 21, 2019

On Friday, December 6th, police working within the city of Tampa responded to reports of a collision between a motorcycle and a HART bus. When officers, paramedics, and EMTs arrived at the scene, they found the situation as described, with at least one person suffering from severe injuries. While the emergency medical teams tended to the injured, the police began their preliminary investigation into the motorycle accident, in the hopes that they might uncover just what happened to cause the frightening and deadly crash.

After interviewing witnesses both aboard and off the bus, and after compiling evidence from the surrounding area – including the damage done to the bus and the motorcycle, skid marks, and other such items – the police were able to piece together much of the events leading up to the crash.

At around 8:00 at night, a motorcyclist was riding their motorcycle down the southern lanes of South Dale Mabry Highway. At this same time, the HART bus involved was traveling down South Dale Mabry Highway as well. The reports did not indicate whether or not the bus was traveling down the southern lanes as well or if they were driving down the northern lanes. Regardless, as the bus reached the intersection of South Dale Mabry and Euclid Avenue, the driver began to turn the bus in order to join the western lanes of Euclid.

Witnesses told the Tampa Police Department that the motorcycle seemed to be traveling at a very high rate of speed in the moments leading up to the crash. It is not clear if the driver of the bike did not see the bus, or if they believed that the bus was further along in the turn than they actually were. It is also not clear if the motorcyclist attempted to swerve away from the rear of the bus. Ultimately, the bike crashed into the rear of the HART bus with enough force to throw the biker from their vehicle and cause them to sustain fatal injuries. It is not clear if the rider was alive when medical teams reached the scene, but we do know that they were declared dead at the scene of the crash.

No one aboard the HART bus was injured in the incident.

Sources:

• Motorcyclist killed after crashing into a HART bus in Tampa

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.