A 51-year-old Palm Coast man cycling on County Road 302 early this morning died in a crash involving two vehicles, the third cyclist to die on Flagler County’s roads in six weeks. Half this year’s deaths on Flagler County roads have happened to cyclists, motorcyclists or pedestrians.
The cyclist, whose identity the Florida Highway Patrol has not released, was traveling west on County Road 302–a narrow two-lane road with no shoulders, no bike lanes and no street lights–a few minutes before 7 a.m., just east of County Road 15.
A 62-year-old Bunnell woman was driving an SUV in the same direction, immediately behind the cyclist, and a 34-year-old Palm Coast woman was driving her own SUV behind the other SUV. According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, the first SUV’s passenger-side mirror struck the cyclist, throwing him to the pavement. The second SUV then struck the cyclist.
According to FHP, the cyclist had no illumination devices on the bike and was not wearing a helmet. Sunrise was at 7:09 today, 15 minutes after the crash was reported, but the area was in fog at the time, as it often is in the morning.
Authorities attempted to call in two emergency helicopters–Trauma One, which declined due to weather, and Air One; Flagler County Fire Flight is not in service until 8 a.m. But the cyclist, who was unresponsive after the crash, was pronounced deceased by a Flagler County Fire Rescue paramedic at 7:07 a.m., according to 911 dispatch notes.
The drivers of the two SUVs were not physically injured. County Road 302 was initially closed at County Road 15, then at County Road 302’s intersection with State Road 100 to the east. CR 302 was shut down to CR305 as an FHP traffic homicide investigator and others worked the scene. The road was opened shortly before 11 a.m.
A 40-year-old cyclist was killed the afternoon of Sept. 7 in a collision with a pick-up truck that entered the bike lane on U.S. 1 near Old Dixie Highway. The cyclist was not at fault, according to FHP’s preliminary investigation. And a 50-year-old cyclist was killed on July 31, crossing State Road 100, in that case violating the right of way of oncoming traffic, according to FHP. Today’s fatality was at least the 12th on county roads so far this year.
“My condolences go out the cyclists family and my thoughts and prayers also with the drivers of the vehicles as they deal with this tragedy,” County Commissioner Andy Dance, who chairs the Community Traffic Safety Team, said today.
“It’s tragic, that’s really all you can say. We preach safety as much as possible,” Dance ssid. CTST’s monthly meetings are regularly attended by local law enforcement and the state Department of Transportation. It will be discussing the recent incidents. “The objective of the CTST is to look at every fatality and serious accidents to se if there are components of engineering and education that can help alleviate these in the future,” Dance, himself a ubiquitous cyclist, said.
For instance, CR302 being a connector between the Daytona North population center and Bunnell, and both population centers having a number of people who rely on bicycles as their mode of transportation, there may be discussions toward reviewing capital improvement plans ahead, and some consideration about the feasibility of broader shoulders or a bike lane on CR302. “Those are things we have to take into account when we review our five-year construction project list,” Dance said. He has not seen any plans for a bike lane or wider shoulders for CR302 on future plans. “But we’ll definitely take a look at our current list.”
The state Transportation Department takes seriously its Target Zero initiative to reduce road fatalities to zero across the state–a very tall order in a state where eight people are killed and 49 seriously on average per day on Florida roads, but a goal nevertheless. Safety programs frame the initiative.
“If people are following rules of the road, when you’re sharing the road with a 2-ton vehicle, it’s tough,” Dance said, drawing from his own experience as he has become increasingly familiar with county and city roads, and experiencing his own close calls. “Even on a road like 100 where we have a bike lane, you need a rearview mirror, you need to be conscious of what’s behind you because you’re riding with traffic, you need to have a full set of safety gear on.”
There are numerous ways even for cyclist with lesser means to secure safety gear–from the free bike helmets handed out by Tax Collector Suzanne Johnston at her offices to the regional Transportation Planning Organization, which distributes such things as light reflectors or flashing lights for bikers, or Joe the Bike Man–Joe Golan–who got a “Standing O” from the Observer in January for his work donating and repairing thousands of bikes for children and adults.
Notably, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has stepped up its traffic enforcement patrols, and traffic crashes involving vehicle-on-vehicle collisions have been relatively low this year: a cursory analysis of the year’s 12 or 13 recorded fatalities (including likely medical episodes) reveals that possibly only two of those crashes involved collisions between two vehicles. Four crashes involved single vehicles either losing control or crashing because of the driver’s medical episode. One of the fatalities was caused when a man riding the bed of a truck was ejected.
But five of the fatalities were to cyclists or motorcyclists, and a sixth was a pedestrian. In other words, fully half the danger of death on Flagler roads so far this year has been to non-car riders, suggesting that traffic safety may have to adjust its focus. The types of fatalities are annually confirmed and more precisely broken down by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Joe D says
As a retired citizen of Flagler Beach, I intend to increase my biking activities both for health purposes AND due to the increasing gasoline costs.
Many of these local roads were built BEFORE “ SUV” was even a word in the English dictionary. The increasing size of these vehicles, make sharing the road with bike enthusiasts and pedestrians increasingly precarious. I’ve witnessed many SUV drivers who don’t seem to be able to navigate the “middle of the lane”, making any roadside activity dangerous. SPEED also seems an issue. Many people drive as if speed limits were a SUGGESTION, not the law. It doesn’t help when bike riders don’t use the basic safety gear either, or groups of riders bike side by side instead of one by one.
This whole situation is unfortunate, and likely to continue if at least safe roadside burms, are provided in future road repair and redevelopment.
Atwp says
Increasing population, construction. Don’t forget the roads. If many of the people in that area depend on cycles for transportation, that should be a signal that we need wider roads. People should wear bright clothing so that people will see them. Street lights should be added. A good idea is for bikers to have flashlights especially at night. Another sad story.
JimboXYZ says
Tragic, yet the motorists did their thing too. Laws are such that anyone driving in inclement weather was driving too fast for conditions, if they should’ve been driving at all ?
Where to start ?
Allow for a safe distance to pass, 3 feet when passing a bicycle is one State Statute. FHP or any law enforcement should cite the motorists for driving too fast for conditions/following too closely (since there were 2 motorists that ran over the cyclist). If you can’t see because of being blinded by sun, or in this case fog, you need to pull over somewhere safer for anyone involved. And then the cyclist not having bicycle lights or high visibility & that’s contributory. At the end of the day here, we have vehicular manslaughter. Were the motorists/women impaired, even Rx drugs ?
“A 62-year-old Bunnell woman was driving an SUV in the same direction, immediately behind the cyclist, and a 34-year-old Palm Coast woman was driving her own SUV behind the other SUV. According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, the first SUV’s passenger-side mirror struck the cyclist, throwing him to the pavement. The second SUV then struck the cyclist.
According to FHP, the cyclist had no illumination devices on the bike and was not wearing a helmet. Sunrise was at 7:09 today, 15 minutes after the crash was reported, but the area was in fog at the time, as it often is in the morning.”
There is zero reason not to have the proper safety gear for a cyclist just the same. Just me, but I doubt most parents realize that by State Statute, that children under the age of 16 are required to wear a safety helmet. Over the last 3 years, since gasoline prices have forced motorists to ride bicycles as an alternative. The result of Biden inflation is cyclist fatalities increase. The financial hardships and you’d have to realize the alternative transportation to cars, since nobody can afford an EV (that fantasy that the world is a better place & the recent presentation over charging stations) that electric bicycles are popping up on sidewalks more & more. The e-bikes are 20-30 mph battery operated & electric motor that shouldn’t be on a sidewalk at the speeds I’ve seen some minors (even adults) operating them along Belle Terre alone. Just me, but we have too many that still won’t take accountability & responsibility for themselves, whether it’s their own safety (cyclists) or even their own actions of who they ran over (motorists).
“There are numerous ways even for cyclist with lesser means to secure safety gear–from the free bike helmets handed out by Tax Collector Suzanne Johnston at her offices to the regional Transportation Planning Organization, which distributes such things as light reflectors or flashing lights for bikers, or Joe the Bike Man–Joe Golan–who got a “Standing O” from the Observer in January for his work donating and repairing thousands of bikes for children and adults.”
TR says
Sorry to hear about another unavoidable death. Everyone needs to start obeying the laws and start using common sense while sharing the road.
Roadrunner says
Looks like the county needs to take land away from the owners along these roads to make them wider and instal bike lanes.
I’m sure with the outpouring of emotion in previous stories about cyclists being mowed down by reckless drivers who refuse to share the road, there will be no objecting to forcing the land owners to sacrifice 5 to 10 feet of their property for the safety of the bicyclists.
What is Commissioner Pennington opinion on this ?
Ted says
Bicyclists have no place on the road with vehicles. It’s not rocket science. People are more distracted than ever. Not to mention this state is filled with older people that probably shouldn’t have a license.
The amount of idiots that ride on roads like John Anderson, Walter Boardman and High Bridge blows my mind. Its unsafe, uncourteous and selfish. Wake up world.
Kenny says
It is ridiculous that Flagler County fire flight is not in service until 8 AM. Flagler County fire flight should be in service 24/7! Action needs to be taken immediately to change this. County and City officials need to do something about this.
Petal Pusher says
Hummm…. 20lb bicycle against a 4000 lb SUV. Nope, I believe I will ride in the SUV.
tulip says
The saying is don’t have a serious accident between 8 am and 8 pm cause there is no one to help you. Out idiotic county comissioners won’t see to it that Flager county has adequate helicopters and more than one pilot!!! People need to constantly attend commissoner meetings an make a big stink about how unsafe Flagler is if there is a serious accident especially with the huge and ongoing influx of new people. I wonder how many people actually died because proper help was not available?
Robert Joseph Fortier says
I will second that common sense Ted.
Gary says
Its called expansion!, overpopulated, these will be weekly occurrence just like murders, rapes, drugs, shootings. This is a great benefit of living in a big town! Palm coast is now on the same level as Orlando, Jacksonville, tampa.
Skibum says
With all of the frequent bicycle and pedestrian vs. car accidents we have here, people really need to be extra careful and use that noggin that was strategically placed upon their neck! It should not be a secret to anyone living in FL that we have one of the highest auto insurance rates of any state for a reason. A plethora of older drivers, many with deteriorating eyesight and reflexes, way too many reckless drivers who think they are in the Daytona 500 every time they get behind the wheel, and many roads that are extremely unsafe for bicyclists and pedestrians to be traveling on. Even in my quiet residential neighborhood in Palm Coast, I take my chances riding my bicycle from my driveway out a few blocks to the nearby bike path so I can get some exercise in peace, away from the traffic. I would never, even for a second, consider riding my bicycle on a narrow county road with no shoulders early in the morning before sunrise, in the fog, with no helmet or lights on a bicycle. It is sad this had to happen, both for the victim as well as the innocent drivers who hit him. But it was completely predictable, AND preventable, had the bicyclist used better judgement, of which many seem to be lacking when they decide to do really dumb things like what he did. So sad for all who were involved.
A whole new world says
People in Flagler County don’t need all this land for themselves. Other people should have a right to use that so called PRIVATE PROPERTY if it means the safety of the people. Flagler County should take these land owners to court and give back to the people the land it needs to make the people safe.
Marco of the East says
How dare you blame the cyclist ! Bicycles were in use lone before gas powered vehicles were here. It’s attitudes like this the famous “BLAME THE VICTIM” mentality that silences the oppressed and allows the victimization of the pedestrian class.
SHAME !
John Yankovich says
What ever happened to Defensive Driving!!! Motorcycles and push bikes have a right to use the same roads as 4 wheel cars! As long as they obey same traffic rules! I ride both motorcycle and push bike and am 76 yrs old! BUT YOU HAVE TO DRIVE DEFENSIVELY AND YOU MUST REALIZE THAT PEOPLE CAN’T DRIVR WORTH SHIT!!!
Duncan says
IMO, unfortunately, this cyclist seems to have done everything wrong in this case. No lights, no helmet, riding before daylight in foggy conditions and on a road with no shoulder.
This could have happened to the most defensive and alert driver on the planet, no matter their age.
Palm Coast Citizen From Mondex says
I don’t imagine someone riding a bicycle on that road was doing so for leisure. There will always be people who have no other vehicle than a bicycle. They may have common sense but not enough cash for a vehicle. There are a number of other reasons someone may need to ride a bicycle, and so, where do we go from there?
Downtown says
No one, let alone a bicycle rider, has a right to drive/ride upon the roadways. It’s a privilege granted by the State after proper license. registration and insurance is obtained. That privilege can be revoked at anytime for various reasons. Bicycle riders need no license, registration or insurance but seem to think they have the same privileges as vehicle drivers. They don’t and to think otherwise gets people killed because they wrongly think they have the “right”. Riding a bicycle on a highway is like going to a gun fight with a pocket knife. No way are you going to win the battle. Bicycles should stay on the trails and residential side streets and remember you have no “right” to ride upon the streets
Skibum says
Oh come on! If you believe the bicyclist had no fault in this tragic accident, you are delusional! Riding on a narrow road, before dawn, in foggy conditions, wearing no helmet and the bike had no lights!!! How much more at fault can a bicyclist be? Yes, he was riding on a roadway where cars are supposed to share the roadway, but they first need to be able to SEE him and he certainly did not do his part in allowing himself to be seen in under that circumstance, and that is why he is responsible for his own tragic demise. The drivers were doing exactly what they were supposed to do. He was not.
Skibum says
I understand that maybe he had no other means of transportation other than his bike, but that doesn’t mean you can just throw common sense out the window. No different than someone on a motorcycle in very inclement weather where it becomes dangerous… you stop, get out of the roadway and wait for the weather to clear up enough to where it is safe to continue. Even in a car, I have had to pull off of the road at times when it was raining so hard I could not see in front of me. Riding a bike in foggy conditions is one of the most dangerous things a bicyclist can do, and when you compound that fateful decision by doing it in the early morning before the sun comes up, and not having any lights on the bike OR a helmet, you are just asking to be a statistic, and not in a good way. Now his horrible decisions have also affected the two women drivers who due to no fault of their own hit and killed that man.
Skibum says
Your comment is out of whack except for saying bicyclists need to obey the same traffic rules. So the question becomes, was he? Can you imagine a driver involved in an accident making a defense that they did nothing wrong after driving in the dark before sunrise, in foggy weather, with NO lights on? Zero defense there. You are aware I suppose, that bicyclists are required to have lights on their bike when riding in the dark? Even there, during foggy conditions that reduce both your visibility on a bike as well as reduced visibility of drivers being able to see you, common sense should tell you that it is extremely risky to ride a bike in the dark with no lights and then add some fog to the mix, which now makes it even more deadly. No matter how defensive of a driver either of those women who hit that bicyclist were likely to have been driving, there was almost no chance of avoiding what happened simply because the person riding that bike made extremely poor choices and was doing something that any reasonable person would say was unsafe.
Skibum says
Contrary to your statement, bicycle riders DO in fact have a legal right per FL law to ride on the roadways. No special license or insurance requirements are needed other than the requirement that bicycles must obey traffic laws (just like car drivers are supposed to do the same, LOL!). Many streets and roads (not the interstate or turnpike) have signs reminding motorists to “share the road” with bicyclists. But some bicyclists seem to think they are impervious to getting hit by a car and do not obey traffic laws or ride in a safe manner. Despite being “allowed” to ride on the street, I shake my head in wonderment whenever I see a bike riding in the street where there is a sidewalk or bike path just to the right that is being ignored by the bicyclist for whatever reason, and that in my estimation defies common sense. While you may be “allowed” to do something, is it a good idea??
tired says
sorry to hear about bicyclist
palmcoaster says
First of all my heart is broken with sadness for this cyclist man and his family. He may not afforded a car and was going to work. Is sickening all those here blaming the defenseless victim against your few tons fast driven engine driven weapon as you are suppose to share the road as you do not own it! I am going to be 80 and I never even killed a bird while at the wheel. Is a matter of respecting life! There is no compassion around given all the pedestrians and cyclist or motorcyclist killed in Florida roads. Do not look for excuses! I agree we fund of these high paid government bureaucracy in this county but we do not assign $$ for an evac 24-7.
Laurel says
Roadrunner and A whole new world: That is incorrect. Man, so many people here are so eager to steal land from others, never volunteering their own.
Each road is a right of way, and that right of way does not end at the edge of the pavement. If a municipality wants a bike lane, they build it in the right of way. I measured CR 302 right of way at 95′ wide. though it’s more likely to be 100′. The pavement is 20′ wide.
No land needs to be stolen.
Others here think everyone should pull off the road when it rains or when there is fog. Never going to happen. Many jump to the conclusion the driver was speeding, or on drugs, or on the phone. I wish people would stop and think before the accusations fly.
Laurel says
Skibum: Thank you. Now there’s common sense.
Shark says
Flagler County Deputies are too busy patrolling I95 !!!!
Let's get woke on bicyclists..... says
What do you want Commissioner Pennington to do. Make sure to put light and helmets on every cyclists and then follow behind them while they straddle hog the road because they believe the own the road. What a stupid question!
Denali says
Interestingly enough, the 2023 Tahoe, the ’64 Chevy Impala and the ’64 Buick Electra are all right at 80 inches wide with the Electra being the longest of the three. Vehicle size is not the issue here. As you said, speed is a huge factor. The problems center on driver ability and awareness coupled with the cyclists failures to be seen – no lights, no reflective devices of clothing. The fact that the driver clipped the cyclist with a mirror makes one wonder if the driver even saw the rider.
James says
Sorry, but in order to be “clipped” by an outer rearview
mirror that first vehicle needed to be really close in my opinion.
She either never saw the bicyclist or failed to move over properly. I tend to believe the latter was the case.
James says
Were you there?
Just how foggy was it that morning?
James says
“… straddle hog the road…”
Yeah, the driver of the car certainly was.
James says
Were you there?
How foggy was it that morning? Were you driving with your headlights on? Could you see the bikes rear cateye-reflectors? All bikes have them at least on the petals. Was it so foggy that you had second thoughts as to driving that morning?
James says
“… highest auto insurance rates… ”
That’s what you get when insurance companies that sell home insurance also sell car insurance in a state that is prone to catastrophic losses on the home insurance policies.
They have to “make up” for the losses somewhere, somehow.
James says
While l might be “allowed” to cross the street at a crosswalk with the walk signal… should I?
Remember (as a cyclist or pedestrian), “turn on red means you’re dead.”
Daytona north resident says
First of all . Anyone who is familiar with cr 302 will know that the place where the accident happened knows there are ditches on both sides of the street so those of you who are posting they need to widen the road the answer is clear there is no room to do that. Second bicyclist need to wear visible clothing if they are riding on the road.
KANEKIRU Kogitsune says
Or just not ride on the road just saying
David says
With drivers believing that increasing their speed will result in getting there quicker in todays crowded roads we are faced with drivers with not near enough reaction time to adjust to ever changing conditions and add in drunk/drugged drivers that are looking at displays with little or no penalty if they break the law and we are facing a pandemic like situation on our roads for any user!! Yes cyclists could do more to be visible but speeding cars while looking at phones will never solve this!! Get the mis used killing machines under control and I’ll bet ALL road deaths get reduced dramatically and 98% of driver times will hardly be affected as well!!