Pinellas County Motorcycle Crash Kills 56-Year-Old Biker

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on May 24, 2021

As our climate here in the great Sunshine State quickly shifts gears into summer mode, bringing its glorious sunny skies and consistently warm temperatures, motorcycle enthusiasts have wasted no time in returning to the roadways to soak up the beautiful scenery. However, this recent increase in the amount of bikers along our coastal highways and intertwined interstate systems has also caused an alarming uptick in the number of severe and fatal motorcycle accidents. One such incident occurred this past Saturday afternoon in Pinellas County and claimed the life of a 56-year-old individual.

According to preliminary collision reports from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, it was approximately 12:30 p.m. on May 22, 2021, when authorities were first alerted to a serious auto accident involving a motorcycle at the intersection of 54th Avenue North and Seminole Boulevard. Responding officers with the Major Accident Investigation Team (M.A.I.T.) indicate that 56-year-old Stephen Smith and his passenger 54-year-old Robyn Cox were travelling on a 2018 Harley-Davidson Street Glide in the northern direction along Seminole Boulevard approaching 54th Avenue North. Concurrently, 46-year-old Kristen Johnson and her 14-year-old passenger were driving southbound down Seminole Boulevard in a 2015 Nissan Rogue, closing in on the same intersection.

As both vehicles came upon the eventual accident area, deputies believe that Smith attempted to beat out the red light governing his traffic flow at the same time Johnson was trying to make a left-hand turn onto 54th Avenue North. This spur-of-the-moment decision proved to be deadly as it caused the motorcycle to violently crash into the Nissan SUV with such a force that the driver and passenger were ejected from the Harley.

Pinellas County emergency response teams arrived at the scene to find both Smith and Cox suffering from serious injuries as a result of the collision. After securing the victims for transport, they were immediately rushed to a local hospital where Cox is said to be in critical, but stable condition. Unfortunately, due to the severe nature of the injuries he sustained in the motorcycle accident, Smith was unable to survive and he passed away shortly after arriving at the medical facility.

The driver and teenage passenger of the Nissan Rogue SUV thankfully only received minor injuries in this truly devastating incident.

Sources:

• Sheriff: 1 man dead, woman critically injured in motorcycle crash in Seminole

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.