A 37-year-old Jensen Beach man died after his motorcycle slammed into the back of a van on Southern Boulevard near D Road in Loxahatchee Sunday night. Derrick Teets was riding his 2021 Honda CBR600RR east on Southern Boulevard just before 9:49 p.m. when he approached a 2016 Ford Transit van from behind at high speed, according to investigators, and the motorcycle struck the rear of the van before Teets was thrown into the median.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue pronounced Teets dead at the scene, according to WPEC. The Boca Raton Tribune reports that crash logs confirmed Teets was wearing a helmet when he was thrown from the motorcycle, and that the van's driver, 53-year-old Flor Marina Maeda of Boca Raton, was wearing her seatbelt, was uninjured, and brought her vehicle to a controlled stop east of the crash site. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Vehicle Homicide Investigation unit is handling the case under Case #26099734, and the same outlet's reporting notes that the investigation remains open as reconstructors analyze speed factors and vehicle telemetry, with no impairment suspected in the crash.
Other Fatal Crashes in the Area
Other Fatal Crashes in the Area This is not the first fatal rear-end motorcycle collision at this exact intersection. Less than eleven months earlier, on November 13, 2025, 36-year-old Timothy Yocum of West Palm Beach was killed at the same Loxahatchee intersection when a Dodge Challenger struck his stopped motorcycle from behind at a traffic light, per the Tribune's prior reporting. In November 2024, three Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office motorcycle deputies were struck by a vehicle at 18000 Southern Boulevard, just west of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road. Two deputies died and a third was critically injured at publication. The driver was charged with vehicular homicide in April 2026.
The same stretch of road has drawn law enforcement attention for other reasons too. The intersection of Southern Boulevard and D Road was also the site of a July 30 homicide in which John Michael Depperman was shot and killed, prompting an active PBSO investigation and a $3,000 reward offer, according to the Boca Post.
Why the Road Itself Is Part of the Problem
Southern Boulevard, also known as State Road 80, operates as a multilane arterial highway with a posted speed limit of 55 mph through Loxahatchee Groves, a stark contrast to the surrounding local residential and collector streets that carry a 25 mph limit, per Zoneomics. That speed differential, combined with intersections where local “letter roads” like D Road meet the high-speed corridor, creates frequent rear-end hazards, especially at night.
Local officials have taken notice. In 2026, the Town of Loxahatchee Groves partnered with the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, using a Florida Commerce grant, on a Strategic Southern Boulevard Corridor Study evaluating access management, land use, and traffic safety along State Road 80, according to the Town of Loxahatchee Groves.
Helmet Use and Statewide Motorcycle Risk
Under Florida Statute § 316.211, motorcycle operators under 21 must wear DOT-compliant headgear, while riders 21 and older may ride helmetless only if covered by a medical insurance policy providing at least $10,000 in medical benefits for motorcycle-related injuries; eye protection is required for all operators regardless of age, per Diaco Law. Teets, at 37, was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, placing him in compliance with state law.
The crash adds to a troubling statewide trend. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles recorded 9,548 motorcycle crashes and 615 rider fatalities statewide in 2023, with motorcycle deaths consistently representing 18 to 19 percent of all traffic fatalities across the state, according to Treasure Coast Legal. Palm Beach County alone recorded 489 motorcycle crashes in 2024, an 8.2% increase from 452 crashes the year before.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office investigation into Sunday's crash remains pending. No further details on potential charges or contributing factors have been released.
