A 39-year-old New Hampshire woman loses her life after she was knocked off the back of the motorcycle she was riding on following an early-morning rear-end collision on the final Sunday of Bike Week 2021.
A 911 call placed at 5:27 a.m. yesterday (March 14, 2021) sent officers with the Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) to the accident scene on International Speedway Boulevard (ISB) / U.S. 92 near Hagen Terrace.
DBPD’s Traffic Homicide Unit arrived a short time later to process the scene.
The two vehicles involved – a gray 2000 Toyota Rav4 and a 2013 maroon Harley-Davidson Softail – were both on the far outside right lane heading eastbound when the front of the Rav4 hit the back of the Harley-Davidson, wedging the rear of the motorcycle under the Rav4 and knocking the female passenger off of the motorcycle along with the male driver.
The woman – a resident of Seabrook, NH - died on scene after she landed on the road. Her name is not available at this time. DBPD is still attempting to contact her next of kin.
Paramedics transported the driver of the motorcycle – an 18-year-old resident of Durand, Illinois – to Halifax Health Medical Center (HHMC) for treatment. His injuries are not life-threatening.
Investigators learned that, just before the accident, the man driving the Harley was heading westbound on ISB when his hat flew off his head. That prompted him and his father – who was driving another vehicle which was following behind the motorcycle – to make a U-Turn at Hagen so they could retrieve the hat. The accident occurred as both vehicles were stopped on the road.
Neither of the motorcycle riders were wearing helmets at the time of the crash.
The driver of the Rav4 – a 25-year-old resident of Warner Robins, GA – agreed to have his blood drawn on scene by medical personnel after officers noted possible signs of impairment.
No injuries were reported by the driver of the Rav4 or the other four passengers inside the sport utility vehicle.
Both vehicles were towed from the scene by DBPD and will be fully inspected as part of the investigation, which remains ongoing.
Charges have not been filed at this time. A decision on charges will not be made until the investigation is complete.
This is the fourth fatal accident reported in Daytona Beach during Bike Week 2021.
A 68-year-old Ormond Beach man died at HHMC on Saturday (March 13), two days after officers pulled him from a vehicle which had gone into a pond.
A 68-year-old Titusville man died following a two-vehicle collision last Thursday night on North Williamson Boulevard near Reliability Way.
A 52-year-old Ormond Beach woman died on the first Saturday of Bike Week after colliding with a Daytona Beach Fire Department truck.