• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2022
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

Joseph J. Faircloth, 38, Killed in Motorcycle Crash On Palm Coast’s Rickenbacker Drive

December 7, 2018 | FlaglerLive | 13 Comments

Joseph Faircloth crashed into the mailbox at 87 Rickenbacker Drive and ended up in the next driveway at 85 Rickenbacker. (© FlaglerLive)

Joseph James Faircloth, a 38-year-old Palm Coast resident who’d married just two weeks ago, was killed in a motorcycle crash on Rickenbacker Drive in Palm Coast early this morning. No one else was involved. 


Faircloth was riding his motorcycle north on Rickenbacker, off of Royal Palms Parkway, when he failed to negotiate a left curve just past the south intersection with Rippling Brook Drive. A single skid mark traces a straight line of some 20 to 30 feet into the mailbox in front of 87 Rickenbacker. Faircloth, according to a Florida Highway Patrol investigation, struck the mailbox, uprooting it off its foundation, and continued into the next yard at 85 Rickenbacker, where he came to rest partly on the driveway, partly in the grass. The motorcycle ended up on the driveway.

He was not wearing a helmet.  FHP has not yet determined if alcohol was involved. 

According to 911 notes, the crash was first reported at 42 minutes after midnight, when witnesses reported that there’d been a “lot of motorcycle riding around the neighborhood,” and “debris everywhere” at the scene of the crash. For the first couple of minutes those reporting the crash spoke confusedly of the scene and were not able to locate the victim. At 49 minutes after midnight, dispatchers learned that the victim was “unresponsive,” with severe head injuries. He was not breathing. 

Joe Faircloth. (Facebook)
Joe Faircloth. (Facebook)
Volusia’s Air One, the emergency helicopter, was placed on standby. But a paramedic pronounced Joseph Faircloth dead at 52 minutes after midnight. 

The preliminary investigation determined that based on Faircloth’s wife’s account, the couple and some friends had been out that night to different bars and venues. They’d started at the Harley Davidson place off U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach, then gone to a bar in Bunnell, then to Smiley’s in Palm Coast, before heading home. Faircloth was on one motorcycle, his wife on an other, and friends were following in a car. They were heading home to Faircloth’s mother’s house on Ripcord Lane, where he and his wife were staying.

At one point Faircloth took off to go ahead on his own. When his wife got home, he wasn’t there. She went back out to look for him, and found the crash site.

The preliminary investigation also uncovered that he’d been driving on a suspended license for failure to pay a traffic fine by April 26 and failure to appear in court on May 29.

According to his Facebook page, Faircloth was a general manager at a Subway restaurant and had previously worked as a manager at River Grille on the Tomoka in Ormond Beach.

The Palm Coast Fire Police shut down both intersections of Rippling Brook Drive with Rickenbacker for the next several hours as the Florida Highway Patrol’s Pete Young, a traffic homicide investigator, took over the scene until just before 4 a.m. Flagler County sheriff’s deputies, the Palm Coast Fire Department and Flagler County Fire Rescue had also responded to the scene. Deputies had to keep several passers-by away from the scene as the body of the victim was not immediately removed by the medical examiner. 

The motorcycle was towed by Roger’s Towing of Bunnell.  It was the first motorcycle fatality in the county since November 2017, when a motorcyclist was killed at U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway. It was the 13th crash this year that resulted in a fatality–a considerably lower number than last year, which was more than double that.

The motorcycle was towed to Roger's Towing in Bunnell. (© FlaglerLive)
The motorcycle was towed to Roger’s Towing in Bunnell. (© FlaglerLive)

Faircloth applied the brakes immediately before the curve, as indicated by the skid mark, and attempted to lay down the bike further on before crashing into the mailbox. (© FlaglerLive)
Faircloth applied the brakes immediately before the curve, as indicated by the skid mark, and attempted to lay down the bike further on before crashing into the mailbox. (© FlaglerLive)

The scene. (© FlaglerLive)
The scene. (© FlaglerLive)

Faircloth ended up partly on the driveway and partly on the grass at 85 Rickenbacker. (© FlaglerLive)
Faircloth ended up partly on the driveway and partly on the grass at 85 Rickenbacker. (© FlaglerLive)

motorcycle fatality
A phone cover at the scene of the crash. (© FlaglerLive)

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
You and your neighbors collectively read our articles about 25,000 times each day (that's not a typo) with up to 65,000 daily reads during emergencies like hurricanes. Flagler County residents rely on FlaglerLive for essential, bold and analytical journalism that cannot be found anywhere else. But we depend on your support. Please join our December fund drive! If you donate the cost of a scoop of ice cream, you will be helping us continue to provide comprehensive local news and honest, serious journalism for our community. If you can donate more or become a monthly donor, even better. Donations are tax deductible since FlaglerLive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donate by clicking anywhere in this box. Think of it as buying a scoop, in every sense of the term!  
All donors' identities are kept confidential and anonymous.
   

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Fernando Melendez says

    December 7, 2018 at 10:02 am

    My condolences to the family, what a tragedy especially for the holidays RIP

    Reply
  2. Vinny says

    December 7, 2018 at 10:30 am

    RIP Joe…………. Prays to your family

    Reply
  3. S.M says

    December 7, 2018 at 11:00 am

    He was my manager for quite some time. He will surely be missed. RIP joe :(

    Reply
  4. ASF says

    December 7, 2018 at 11:33 am

    No one ever thinks it will happen to them. My sincere condolences to family and friends of this man. Please be careful out there!

    Reply
  5. Roxanne says

    December 7, 2018 at 1:57 pm

    So sorry to hear this prayers go out to his family and friends

    Reply
  6. Bill says

    December 7, 2018 at 2:52 pm

    Sad to hear of such especially with a newlywed and so close to the holidays. BUT this may have been preventable “the couple and some friends had been out that night to different bars and venues.” and “He was not wearing a helmet” Please folks dont drink and RIDE and always wear a helmet.

    Reply
  7. Publius says

    December 7, 2018 at 7:20 pm

    Nice guy at Subway. When he said, “Good morning,” it wasn’t just formality. He always engaged me in conversation.

    Reply
  8. nairb sonjohn says

    December 7, 2018 at 9:37 pm

    JESUS welcomes you home Joe..RIP

    Reply
  9. Buck says

    December 8, 2018 at 1:10 am

    Rip stump hold it down in Valhalla

    Reply
  10. Richard says

    December 8, 2018 at 6:36 am

    VERY sad news! Sincere condolences to his new wife, family and friends. RIP

    Reply
  11. Anonymous says

    December 8, 2018 at 5:11 pm

    We can all learn from other people’s tragic mistakes- don’t drink and drive, don’t speed, and always wear a helmet/seat belt. Most traffic deaths are preventable.

    Reply
  12. capt says

    December 10, 2018 at 8:59 am

    I just saw this, so sad, RIP Joe.

    @Anonymous , well said.

    Reply
  13. Carrie Jaske says

    August 17, 2019 at 9:06 pm

    Joe was my Highschool sweetheart and we were engaged 1999. Young Love. Very Fearless and a Defense Football player in Highschool!

    Reply
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents
  • grand living realty

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Advertisers

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • Pierre Tristam on The Hung Jury Got It Right in the Monserrate Teron Trial
  • blerbfamilyfive on Why Will Furry Is Demolishing the Flagler Youth Orchestra
  • We believe the girl on The Hung Jury Got It Right in the Monserrate Teron Trial
  • DAVE on Flagler Pride Fest Is On Despite Hostile Climate, Drag Show Included, With a Few Cautionary Tucks
  • Blame Game on No, Flagler Beach Isn’t Asking for Money. It’s Asking for Cooperation from County and Cities.
  • Laurel on Behind the Divorce, a Bitter, Threat-Ridden Clash Between Waste Pro and Palm Coast Over Recycling Bins
  • Deborah Coffey on Wadsworth Elementary’s Paul Peacock Is Told He’s Done in Flagler Schools; New Principal To Be Named Later
  • Flatsflyer on Wadsworth Elementary’s Paul Peacock Is Told He’s Done in Flagler Schools; New Principal To Be Named Later
  • Greg on No, Flagler Beach Isn’t Asking for Money. It’s Asking for Cooperation from County and Cities.
  • Bailey’s Mom on Wadsworth Elementary’s Paul Peacock Is Told He’s Done in Flagler Schools; New Principal To Be Named Later
  • jake on Flagler Pride Fest Is On Despite Hostile Climate, Drag Show Included, With a Few Cautionary Tucks
  • Dennis Clark on No, Flagler Beach Isn’t Asking for Money. It’s Asking for Cooperation from County and Cities.
  • Bryan on “A Fitting Conclusion”: Family Speaks of Pilot Ray Miller’s Life of Adventure Before Crash
  • Ray W. on The Hung Jury Got It Right in the Monserrate Teron Trial
  • Ray W. on The Hung Jury Got It Right in the Monserrate Teron Trial
  • Dee on Wadsworth Elementary’s Paul Peacock Is Told He’s Done in Flagler Schools; New Principal To Be Named Later

Log in