Fatal Motorcycle Accident in Sarasota, Florida

Fatal motorcycle accident

SARASOTA, Florida — A married couple in their 50s died in a tragic motorcycle accident near Sarasota, Florida. Iowa television station KCRG reported that the husband and wife died while traveling on I-75 within the Sarasota County limits. The cause of the fatal motorcycle incident remains under investigation with the Florida Highway Patrol.

Investigators from the Florida Highway Patrol reported that the 59-year-old male motorcycle operator and his 56-year-old wife died in the motorcycle crash. The investigators’ preliminary report suggests that the male operator of the motorcycle was riding northerly on I-75 in Sarasota County and somehow lost control over the motorcycle. Investigators believe that both riders were thrown off of the motorcycle after the operator lost control. Troopers said that the operator and passenger sustained severe injuries and died at the scene of the accident.

Vinton Today reported that the couple resided in Norway, Iowa. The couple also left a family behind. News outlets said that the couple had children and grandchildren but did not specify how many. Vinton Today indicated that the couple was slated to leave Florida on Saturday, March 16, 2019, to return to Iowa: they were on their way home to meet their newborn granddaughter.

Both KCRG and Vinton today reported that the couple was beloved members of their community. They were also communicants of the Cedar Hills Community Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The church community asked for prayers for the people who died as well as their family.

Florida’s Integrated Report Exchange System, known by the acronym FIRES, is a statistical repository of Florida’s accidents by year, including a year to date. As of mid-March, 2019, out of the nearly 75,000 vehicle crashes in Florida, 498 have been fatal crashes, with 534 people in total who have died. These figures are preliminary and will be finalized sometime in 2020.