A motorcyclist died Friday afternoon after colliding with a semitrailer at the intersection of State Road 326 and Northwest 44th Avenue in northwest Marion County, near the Love's Truck Stop. The rider was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the Ocala StarBanner, a 67-year-old man driving the semitrailer was headed westbound on SR 326. The motorcycle and semitrailer collided at the intersection.
Marion County Fire Rescue crews were assigned to the call at 3:26 p.m. and arrived eight minutes later, at 3:34 p.m. The rider was pronounced dead at the scene, the outlet's report states.
Another Fatal Motorcycle Crash in Marion County
The WESH report says a separate crash killed a 20-year-old Ocala man riding a motorcycle on April 28, 2026, at the intersection of Marion Oaks Boulevard and Marion Oaks Drive. In that crash, FHP said the motorcycle collided with a semi tractor-trailer as the truck began turning right at the intersection, and the 44-year-old truck driver was not injured, per the station's report.
Traffic Deaths Trending Slightly Lower in 2026
The crash adds to a running tally of traffic fatalities FHP tracks across unincorporated Marion County. So far in 2026, troopers have reported 62 traffic deaths in that area, compared with 64 at the same point in 2025, the article notes. Troopers recorded 73 deaths in unincorporated Marion County for all of 2025, per the same account.
Florida Highway Patrol has not released additional findings on what led to the collision at SR 326 and NW 44th Avenue, and no further details on the cause or any potential citations have been made public.
