A tragic incident unfolded in Hilliard, Nassau County, when a 65-year-old motorcyclist was struck and killed by an ATV operated by a 14-year-old driver. The Florida Highway Patrol informed that the crash occurred on an unmarked, dirt two-lane road known as Mulberry Landing Road, reports News4Jax. The collision took place yesterday just before 3 p.m., with the youth driving the ATV on the wrong side of the road.
According to the FHP, the motorcyclist was traveling northbound when he was hit by the southbound Polaris ATV, leading to his immediate death on the scene. With his injuries described as minor, the adolescent did not require hospitalization, informs the Jacksonville.com. Despite the young age of the ATV driver, Florida law dictates that anyone 16 or older can operate an ATV without adult supervision; charges are pending as the investigation proceeds.
Damian Owens, a neighbor and witness to the accident, recounted to First Coast News how he leapt from his truck to assist, "I jumped off the hood of my truck. Jumped on my four-wheeler. Dropped down to see if he was responsive or anything." Owens and another neighbor called 911 and aided first responders in locating the crash site. Moved by the incident and his relationship with the deceased, whom he would routinely observe riding the motorcycle, Owens is planning a memorial with wreaths, flags, and a miniature replica of the motorbike.
The community remains shaken by the event, with the visceral pain of loss colliding with ineffable sorrow for the young that might be charged. "I feel bad for everyone around there," said Owens, detailing the harrowing moments following the crash and the dreadful regularity of life's unforeseen calamities, as per First Coast News.
