In the early hours of New Year's Day, a serious accident occurred involving two motorcycles in Lake Wales, Polk County, leading to the hospitalization of both riders. As reported by WTSP, the incident took place around 1 a.m. on Tindel Camp Road near the intersection with Lake Mabel Loop Road.
One of the motorcyclists, a 30-year-old man from Haines City, was found with "extremely significant head injuries" after losing control of his 2023 Kawasaki motorcycle. Sliding around 100 yards in the eastbound lane before coming to a stop, the deputies reported the bike overturned. Meanwhile, overtaking himself to avoid the Kawasaki in the road, a 25-year-old from Winter Haven was also involved; his Suzuki motorcycle also overturned, according to WTSP reports.
As indicated by WFLA, the Winter Haven man was ejected from his 2024 Suzuki bike but was able to provide minimal information to authorities at the scene. Both individuals were not wearing helmets at the time of the incident, adding to the severity of the situation.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that the investigation is ongoing, with their Traffic Homicide Unit looking into the crash details. Both lanes of Tindel Camp Road were closed for approximately four hours following the incident, causing significant traffic delays, the sheriff’s office reported the roads were shut down. According to information obtained by Lake Wales Daily, although it was initially believed the motorcycles may have collided, it appears they did not actually come into contact with one another.
