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Motorcyclist Killed in Marion County Collision with Dump Truck on State Road 40

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on October 13, 2020

According to preliminary incident reports retrieved from the Florida Highway Patrol and local news outlets, a 45-year-old Dunnellon motorcyclist was killed during the early morning hours of October 9^th, 2020, after he was involved in an unavoidable fatal collision with a dump truck which was maneuvering a U-turn along State Road 40 close to Ocala in Marion County.

About a half an hour before the sunrise at approximately 6:40 a.m. last Friday morning, local authorities and officers with the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) were alerted to a two-vehicle collision that occurred near the intersection of State Road 40 and Southwest 113th Terrace outside the city of Ocala. As reported by Marion County Fire Rescue Spokesman James Lucas, a 57-year-old dump truck driver from Ocala had stopped his vehicle on the northbound shoulder of S.R. 40, just east of S.W. 113th Terrace before making the decision to attempt a U-turn through a nearby division in the highway’s median. Unfortunately, a 45-year-old Dunnellon resident riding his 2003 Honda motorcycle was also approaching this area at the same time from the westbound direction. Witness statements indicate that the dump truck driver, for reasons that are currently unknown, proceeded to pull his vehicle out across the road and into the direct path of the motorcyclist. Unable to avoid the deadly collision, the victim crashed into the side of the truck with so much force that it caused the motorcycle to slide and become stuck under the truck after the initial impact.

Marion County emergency response teams arrived at the scene of the accident within minutes of its occurrence to find the motorcyclist suffering from severe injuries and lying underneath the dump truck in a puddle of diesel gas from a fuel line that had broken in the crash. Despite their best efforts, there was nothing rescuers could do to save the badly injured biker and he passed away at the scene. The driver of the dump truck was uninjured, however, a statement from the truck’s owner implies that his employee is seriously traumatized from the incident and that he doubts he’ll ever get him into the cab of a truck again.

For over forty years, the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham, P.A. has been representing the victims of Florida motorcycle accidents. If you would like to schedule a free 30-minute case evaluation, please contact us today at 877-FL-INJURY for additional information.

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James O. Cunningham

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.