Post by gfrphoto on Jul 30, 2008 21:25:16 GMT -5
A section of Mobile Highway is closed this afternoon after two people were injured in a wreck involving a motorcycle.
The injured were taken to Baptist Hospital; the extent of their injuries was not immediately available.
Richard Shine, 29, a guest at the Relax Inn, a nearby motel, said the motorcyle slammed into the back of a white pickup traveling west.
A man was driving the cycle; a woman was his passenger.
"She flew at least 30 feet in the air; It hought I was seeing a movie," he said. "I had to turn away when I saw her face hit the curve (in the road) because I couldn't handle it."
He said the man and woman were not wearing helmets.
Law enforcement has closed down Mobile Highway at Green Street, the site of the wreck.
Motorists traveling to and from West Pensacola are advised to seek alternate routes.
The PNJ.com
Another news agency, on the tube, said they had died. But I can't find that to verify... Be careful riders! And please wear helmets!
Updated Story:
A man was killed and a woman seriously injured when their motorcycle crashed Wednesday afternoon into the back of a pickup on Mobile Highway.Advertisement
The Florida Highway Patrol reported that Mark Shannon Evans, 38, of Clarksville, Tenn., was pronounced dead at Baptist Hospital at 4:25 p.m. His passenger, Katherine Mitchem, 38, of Pensacola was listed in critical condition late Wednesday.
Troopers said the 1996 Honda motorcycle was traveling north on Mobile Highway at a "very high rate of speed" when it slammed into a pickup truck that was stopped and preparing to turn left into the Relax Inn parking lot.
Evans and Mitchem were thrown from the motorcycle, the FHP said.
The driver of the truck was identified as Joshua G. Lawson, 30, of Pensacola.
Richard Shine, 29, a guest at the Relax Inn, witnessed the accident.
"She flew at least 30 feet in the air. I thought I was seeing a movie," he said.
Crash investigators said neither the man nor the woman was wearing a helmet, which are not required in Florida as long as riders are at least 21 years old and have an insurance policy with $10,000 in medical benefits covering injuries from a crash.
Lawson was visibly shaken as he recalled the crash.
"Everything happened so fast," he said, wringing his hands. "I just don't know what happened."
The fatal crash on Mobile Highway marks the fourth fatal crash in the Pensacola area since mid-June.
On July 1, the Department of Motor Vehicles replaced written and driving tests for motorcyclists to receive a motorcycle endorsement on their driver's license.
In a bid to reduce accidents, the state now requires all motorcycle-riding hopefuls to pass a 15-hour rider-safety course.
Gary VerCrouse is president of the local chapter of American Bikers Aiming Toward Education, an organization that lobbies for tougher laws to protect motorcycle riders.
He said automobile drivers and motorcyclists need to be aware of their surroundings.
"People don't pay attention," he said. "It's hard for a motorcycle to stop safely within a limited amount of space. We've got to get the public looking out for each other out there."
The injured were taken to Baptist Hospital; the extent of their injuries was not immediately available.
Richard Shine, 29, a guest at the Relax Inn, a nearby motel, said the motorcyle slammed into the back of a white pickup traveling west.
A man was driving the cycle; a woman was his passenger.
"She flew at least 30 feet in the air; It hought I was seeing a movie," he said. "I had to turn away when I saw her face hit the curve (in the road) because I couldn't handle it."
He said the man and woman were not wearing helmets.
Law enforcement has closed down Mobile Highway at Green Street, the site of the wreck.
Motorists traveling to and from West Pensacola are advised to seek alternate routes.
The PNJ.com
Another news agency, on the tube, said they had died. But I can't find that to verify... Be careful riders! And please wear helmets!
Updated Story:
A man was killed and a woman seriously injured when their motorcycle crashed Wednesday afternoon into the back of a pickup on Mobile Highway.Advertisement
The Florida Highway Patrol reported that Mark Shannon Evans, 38, of Clarksville, Tenn., was pronounced dead at Baptist Hospital at 4:25 p.m. His passenger, Katherine Mitchem, 38, of Pensacola was listed in critical condition late Wednesday.
Troopers said the 1996 Honda motorcycle was traveling north on Mobile Highway at a "very high rate of speed" when it slammed into a pickup truck that was stopped and preparing to turn left into the Relax Inn parking lot.
Evans and Mitchem were thrown from the motorcycle, the FHP said.
The driver of the truck was identified as Joshua G. Lawson, 30, of Pensacola.
Richard Shine, 29, a guest at the Relax Inn, witnessed the accident.
"She flew at least 30 feet in the air. I thought I was seeing a movie," he said.
Crash investigators said neither the man nor the woman was wearing a helmet, which are not required in Florida as long as riders are at least 21 years old and have an insurance policy with $10,000 in medical benefits covering injuries from a crash.
Lawson was visibly shaken as he recalled the crash.
"Everything happened so fast," he said, wringing his hands. "I just don't know what happened."
The fatal crash on Mobile Highway marks the fourth fatal crash in the Pensacola area since mid-June.
On July 1, the Department of Motor Vehicles replaced written and driving tests for motorcyclists to receive a motorcycle endorsement on their driver's license.
In a bid to reduce accidents, the state now requires all motorcycle-riding hopefuls to pass a 15-hour rider-safety course.
Gary VerCrouse is president of the local chapter of American Bikers Aiming Toward Education, an organization that lobbies for tougher laws to protect motorcycle riders.
He said automobile drivers and motorcyclists need to be aware of their surroundings.
"People don't pay attention," he said. "It's hard for a motorcycle to stop safely within a limited amount of space. We've got to get the public looking out for each other out there."