A 23-year-old Pinellas Park woman died late Tuesday night after her motorcycle veered out of control on U.S. 19 near Seville Boulevard in Clearwater, striking a median barrier before careening across the highway into a second barrier along the shoulder. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and her name has not been released.
Clearwater Police and Clearwater Fire & Rescue responded to the single-vehicle crash at 10:34 p.m., according to iontb.com. Police told the outlet the woman was traveling southbound at high speed when she lost control of the bike, which struck the median barrier before crossing the travel lanes and hitting the barrier along the curb-lane shoulder. Tampa Bay 28 also reported on the crash, which closed down part of the stretch of highway near Seville Boulevard that has seen other serious wrecks in recent memory.
A Dangerous Stretch of U.S. 19
This isn't the first time that particular section of U.S. 19 has turned deadly. In a separate incident, a fatal motorcycle crash occurred in the southbound access lanes of U.S. 19 at Seville Boulevard just before 5:45 a.m., according to WFLA, which reported that 30-year-old Bradley Carpenter was pronounced dead at the scene.
In another separate crash on the same corridor, witnesses told investigators that the motorcyclist, identified as 27-year-old Leon Webb, had been speeding moments before he died at the scene, per FOX 13 News. That crash also prompted a temporary closure of the southbound side of U.S. 19 during the investigation before the road reopened.
Other Recent Crashes Nearby
The stretch of U.S. 19 south of Seville Boulevard has also seen non-fatal but serious incidents. Clearwater Police responded to reports of an electric moped crash in that same area, with the rider taken to a hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries, according to Tampa Bay 28's earlier reporting on the roads being closed during that investigation.
No further details about Tuesday night's fatal crash, including the victim's identity, have been released.
