Duval County has seen 29 fatal accidents involving motorcycles this year.
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The latest, happened around 1:45 PM on Saturday when Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said an elderly man driving an antique motorcycle eastbound on the Wonderwood Expressway was hit from behind by another driver.
“It’s probably not a high-speed motorcycle so he may have been going a little slower than normal traffic would go. I believe the car approached him very quickly,” Sgt. Robert Hungerford, JSO Traffic Homicide Unit.
Officers believe speed may have been a factor.
This accident was the 151st fatal crash in Duval in 2024. Officers ask all drivers to take precautions this time of year, which means being more patient, keeping the phone away, and taking more breaks.
Police have not identified any signs of impairment.
“The male in the four-door Toyota Corolla rear-ended the motorcyclist who was thrown from the motorcycle and landed on the concrete. He was found deceased at the scene,” said Sgt. Hungerford.
This is at least the fourth deadly car accident this week alone.
According to data from Nationwide, the deadliest days on the roads are the weekends leading up to Christmas.
Accidents start to increase around December 15th, just one day from now.
Valerie McFarland said she takes her family to the neighborhood near Saturday’s deadly crash to see the Girvin Road Christmas lights every year. The display tends to generate a lot of traffic.
She said her message to drivers is simply to exercise patience.
“There’s so much more traffic especially through Wonderwood along the Girvin area because there’s lots of people moving into this part of town,” said McFarland.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office adds motorcycle deaths are close to what they were in 2023. The agency encourages motorcyclists to take courses offered by JSO, to ensure they know how to ride safely.
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