Last Updated: 8:16 p.m.
A 27-year-old Bunnell man on a bicycle was struck and killed on U.S. 1 near Seminole Woods Boulevard Sunday night. Earlier that day, the Florida Highway Patrol issued an update to an April 1 crash, reporting the death from his injuries of a 61-year-old motorcyclist who had crashed on April 1 on I-95 in Palm Coast.
Sunday night’s crash took place at 8:40 p.m. as the cyclist, Christopher Gordon Baxley, who lived at the Thunder Gulch campground in Bunnell, was pedaling north on the center-right side of the highway, just before Seminole Woods Boulevard. A man driving a silver Toyota Prius reported striking something, he was not sure what, and pulling over. The bicycle was stuck beneath the vehicle, according to 911 notes. The Florida Highway Patrol reports that Baxley had been hit moments before by another car. The drivers of the two cars were a 35-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman.
A witness would later describe seeing the cyclist, just before the crash, riding near the center of the highway–and worrying about his safety.
Baxley had been thrown to the middle of the road, and at first appeared to be breathing but was unresponsive and had “obvious life threatening wounds,” according to a sheriff’s deputy’s report. A Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy attempted life-saving measures.
Less than 10 minutes later, Baxley had no pulse. Authorities attempted to call for an emergency helicopter but soon cancelled the call as the cyclist was pronounced deceased at 8:53 p.m. A Flagler County Fire Rescue unit took a voluntary blood draw from the driver of the Prius.
Baxley had a young child, though the mother of his child took the child and moved out some time back.
Both northbound lanes of U.S. 1 were shut down from the traffic circle at Old Dixie Highway north until close to 2 a.m. as the Florida Highway Patrol conducted the traffic homicide investigation. The Palm Coast Fire Police regulated traffic.
On April 1, Tom Feretti, who was traveling south on I-95 in the outside lane–merging onto the highway from Palm Coast Parkway–when he lost control and ran off the right side of the highway. He was thrown from his motorcycle and landed on “the wet grassy shoulder,” FHP reported at the time. He was not wearing a helmet and had a serious head injury, according to 911 notes. Within minutes of the crash Flagler County Fire Flight, the emergency helicopter, landed on the highway and airlifted Feretti to Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach.
He had been riding a 1993 Honda motorcycle.
FHP reported that the W.-Section resident died on April 7. The road fatalities are the third and fourth in the county this year.
Charlie Ericksen Jr says
Why anyone would be biking on Highway US1, after dark , is asking for problems, and unfortunately he had the worst ending. In early AM’s , I have biked, NORTH , up US 1, , from Palm Coast under US 95, East on 305 to the draw bridge over the Intracoastal, to US 1 , and North to St. Augustine, ,,,Kinda scary even in the daylight…Heavy trucks blowing you to the right grass, some could suck you out of the small ” bike lane” …and some dummies . honking their horns.. You are also challenged by the trash, thrown out the windows , and possible glass, and other objects,
Northbound on US1, prior to and after the ” CIRCLE ” is idiotic, and should never have been built.. that way.. Even with a car it’s dangerous””
The circle at Matanzas, was not there when I went North , and I find it difficult today , with a car..
BEWARE 2 WHEELERS
Jimbo99 says
Disappointing news, as a bicyclist myself, I don’t ride the streets unless it’s in broad daylight, 8:40 PM, that was nightfall, 50 minutes after sunset. There are also times after sunrise and before sunset, when the sun is rising & setting where motorists drive blind and into the sun, East or West bound depending up the AM or PM. So even there, bicyclists need to stay on the sidewalks to be safer & survive a ride for their exercise or commute. Motorists need to slow down, if not outright wait for the sun to relent from blinding them. Don’t salmon upstream with traffic, motorists anywhere assume the right turn has no pedestrians or cyclists that could be coming and they simply don’t look. The sun can also blind them temporarily. Just because a bicyclist sees the car, doesn’t mean the motorist ever saw them. Thicker pillars for structurally safer vehicles for passengers & motorists, creates larger blind spots and at the right angle & speed, a motorist will never see the pedestrian or bicycle. That’s when injury & deaths are also going to happen.
Palm coast says
It’s a sad story about the cyclist. My husband use to work with him and he told him that he is trying to kill him self by someone running him over. He was walking up and down us1 for a week trying to do it . His friends tried to baker act him ,but police let him out the next day . His girlfriend left with there kid and left him ,he went crazy. Sad
Niki says
I am the victims sister. If you could please email me with any information that would be greatly appreciated. baxley386@gmail.com
R. S. says
It’s time for public transportation for everyone here (1) to reduce green-house gases and (2) to save lives of non-motorized participants in traffic. It’s also time for decentralized food distribution in establishing small food stores near or in residential areas so as to make driving a thing of the past and walking a thing of the future.