A 68-year-old Ocala motorcyclist died Saturday afternoon after his bike overturned on Maricamp Road in Marion County, according to state troopers. The rider was taken from the scene to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The Florida Highway Patrol responded to the crash and has opened an investigation.
According to WKMG/ClickOrlando, the crash happened around 1:05 p.m. near Locust Place. Troopers said the motorcycle was headed west in the outside lane when it overturned onto its left side, continued sliding westbound and came to rest in the same outside lane. Emergency crews took the rider to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Troopers told WESH the man was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. The Florida Highway Patrol’s initial report identified him only by age and city, and investigators say the crash remains under active review.
Maricamp Road traffic safety concerns
Maricamp Road has been flagged by county planners as part of Marion County’s High Injury Network, a corridor local officials have targeted for safety upgrades and a proposed SS4A grant project that would add multimodal and access management changes. As Marion County’s grant application outlines, the roadway has seen a growing number of fatal and serious injury crashes in recent years, prompting planners to push it to the top of their improvement list. That backdrop is one reason troopers and traffic planners pay especially close attention to crashes on this stretch.
What investigators are asking
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Florida Highway Patrol Ocala office at (352) 512-6630 or the FHP Regional Communications Center at (800) 387-1290, according to WFTV. The fatal wreck has been reported by multiple local television outlets as troopers work to piece together exactly what happened on Maricamp Road.
