Motorcyclist seriously injured after rear-ending minivan on I-75 OCALA – A motorcyclist was critically injured early Thursday morning when he plowed into the back of a Dodge Caravan on Interstate 75 near the State Road 40 exit. The motorcyclist, Robert Kelly, 22, of Silver Springs, was taken by helicopter to Shands at the University of Florida in Gainesville. The 2:20 a.m. wreck closed a northbound section of I-75 for a couple of hours. Law enforcement officials detoured traffic at the State Road 200 interchange while Florida Highway Patrol troopers investigated the crash. Roughly two hours after the accident, officials opened two lanes of the busy Interstate. Troopers said the 2005 Dodge Caravan was heading north in the center lane when a 2002 Suzuki motorcycle crashed into the rear of the minivan. The rider was thrown forward into the middle of the other vehicle. Troopers said speed may have been a contributing factor in the crash. The motorcycle rider, who was wearing a helmet, was flown out in critical but stable condition. We were just cruising in the center lane, when we heard a big ole bang and hes lying between us, said Sammy Cannon, who was sitting with his wife, Nicole Cannon, in the back seat of the minivan. Driver Jeff Stark said the vehicle shook suddenly about half of a mile from the SR 40 exit, and it sounded like the back tire blew out. Because other vehicles were behind them, Stark said, he slowed down and pulled over on the shoulder 70 to 80 yards past the SR 40 exit. I turned around and saw a guys head was turned liked he was looking out the passengers window, Stark said. The injured man was breathing. i801.photobucket/albums/yy299/fsbPics/MCWreck/5c6b7356.jpg Jeff Stark of Williston describes where the head of a motorcycle rider ended up next to him after the rider of a Suzuki motorcycle wrecked into the rear of the Dodge Caravan he was driving on I-75 north near the exit of State Road 40 in Ocala, Fla. early Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the minivan, being driven north by Stark, was hit in the rear by a 22-year-old Ocala man who was riding the motorcycle. The motorcycle rider was ejected and landed inside the minivan. He was airlifted to Shands in critical condition.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 15:41:25 +0000
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