Jacksonville family wants motorcycle crash to be a safety lesson to share the road with riders

Once an avid rider, Kenneth Syphers now gets around in a wheelchair.

It’s been eight months since he and his wife Kendra were in a debilitating motorcycle accident in North Jacksonville.

Police say Gregory Williams, 25, tried to pass another car on U.S. 17, crossing double yellow lines, and hit Kenneth as he headed north.

Kendra was on a motorcycle right behind her husband, along with her brother.

“I remember coming around the corner, and seeing the car hit my husband, screaming ‘Oh my God, this has happened,’” she said.

Police arrested Williams for reckless driving.

Kenneth now has an amputated leg. He suffered broken bones across his body and has a permanent head injury. Kendra tells Action News Jax she tore her rotator cuff in the crash as well.

Action News Jax spoke with the couple between medical appointments. Kendra said this has become their life during the last eight months.

“That’s the hardest part for me, knowing how strong he was before,” Kendra said.

The couple reached out to us to a share a lesson about motorcycle safety and sharing the road with riders.

According to 2015 statistics from the Department of Transportation, Florida had more motorcyclist fatalities than any other state.

The state of Florida said to always check mirrors and blind spots even more carefully around motorcycles, because they’re compact and can be hidden from view during a casual glance.

Motorcyclists in Florida also aren’t required by law to wear helmets if they’re at least 21 and have a strong enough insurance policy.

Kenneth wasn’t wearing a helmet when the crash happened.

“Somebody could have lost their brother, lost their father, their son, a husband,” said Kendra. “It’s between riders and those that are in vehicles. It’s everyone’s responsibility.”

Even through all the trauma, Kenneth said he plans to walk, and then ride again.

Cox Media Group