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‘Things happen so fast’: Motorcyclists talk safety amid weekend deadly crashes

JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Police are investigating three separate crashes in what’s been a deadly weekend for motorcyclists in Duval.

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The first crash happened on Friday night at the intersection of Southside Boulevard and Beach Boulevard.

A Florida Highway Patrol report says a Nissan hit a motorcyclist, his passenger and the car in front of them while at a red light. The motorcyclist died at hospital, and the passenger of the motorcycle is in critical condition

Then on Saturday night, a man in his 30s was riding a motorcycle on Lane Avenue South on the Westside. Police say he veered off the road and struck a utility pole and a rockwall.

He did not survive.

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Less than two hours later, early Sunday morning, JSO responded to Beach Boulevard after a man riding a motorcycle was killed after colliding with a pickup truck.

JSO said the driver of the pickup truck was trying to turn left onto Beach Boulevard from the parking lot of Wawa. That’s when the truck collided with the motorcycle.

The passenger in the truck was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he later passed away.

The driver of the truck remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation.

Action News Jax spoke with Alva Morris, who has been riding motorcycles his entire life.

“Everybody needs to be more aware, and people need to be proactive,” Morris said.

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He said he has had many ‘too close for comfort’ situations, including on Beach Boulevard.

“Coming off the road there, you’re turning, she’s turning, she decides she wants the lane you’re in and here she comes in. You ain’t got nowhere to go. So you start tapping on the fender,” Morris said.

According to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there have been at least 28 deadly motorcycle crashes in Duval with still about two months left in the year.

That compares to 41 total last year.

Jim Wilder has been riding motorcycles for two years.

“A lot of people are in a hurry to get somewhere,” Wilder said. “They don’t take their time. They wait until the last minute when they’re late. They think they can go fast.”

He said he encounters close calls every day.

“Things happen so fast,” local motorcyclist Jim Wilder said. “Sometimes you don’t have time to react.”

Related Read: Two late-night traffic fatalities mark 145 traffic related deaths in Duval this year

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