TAMPA, Fla. — Bayshore Boulevard, which offers a scenic drive along Hillsborough Bay, has witnessed another deadly accident. According to a report appearing in the Tampa Bay Times, Around 11:00 Saturday morning, a bicycle rider attempted to cross Bayshore Boulevard in the general vicinity of Rome Avenue when a motorcycle rider, who was in a […]
TAMPA, Fla. — Bayshore Boulevard, which offers a scenic drive along Hillsborough Bay, has witnessed another deadly accident. According to a report appearing in the Tampa Bay Times, Around 11:00 Saturday morning, a bicycle rider attempted to cross Bayshore Boulevard in the general vicinity of Rome Avenue when a motorcycle rider, who was in a group of three motorcycles traveling northerly struck the 50-year-old bicycle rider. The motorcycle rider died at the scene. The bike rider later died at the hospital. The motorcycle collision is the third deadly accident in just over two years on this stretch of road. In response, citizens have asked the city of Tampa to protect pedestrians and bicycle riders along Bayshore. *
Witnesses to the collision between the motorcycle and bicycle described a horrible sound when the two vehicles collided. They said that the man on the bicycle, who appeared to be in his 50s, tried crossing the road when the motorcycle rider, who is suspected to be in his 30s, slammed into the bike rider. A surgeon raced over to the downed man to render aid. The motorcycle rider could not be saved. First responders rushed the bike rider to a local trauma center where physicians there declared him dead.
Witnesses said that three motorcycles were riding together north on Bayshore Boulevard, and one of the bikes was riding solely on its rear wheel, in a maneuver commonly known as a “wheelie.” The witnesses were unable to say if the motorcycle rider performing the trick was involved in the crash. However, other witnesses said that the motorbikes appeared out of nowhere, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
People complain about the speed that vehicles travel up and down this crowded and popular thoroughfare. Despite its picturesque setting, the road is dangerous because it is wide and fairly straight. In the early part of 2020, a pedestrian died after a drunk driver struck the man and catapulted him off of the road and into Hillsborough Bay. In 2018, a mother and her one-year-old daughter were killed by a speeding motorist on Bayshore Boulevard.