Lakeland, Fla. (Newsradio WFLA) - A collision between a motorcycle and a pickup truck Friday night killed the biker, Lakeland Police said. Jimmie Purcell, 53, had just pulled out of Lakeland Harley Davidson onto Lakeland Hills Blvd. shortly after 6:30 p.m. when police say a Ford F-150 veered into Purcell's lane and knocked him off his Harley.
The truck continued off the road, striking a sign and going down an embankment into a drainage ditch, according to a news release from Lakeland Police. The truck's driver, Alejandro Perez, got out and ran away, but police caught the 31-year-old from Lakeland nearby. The accident investigation and cleanup closed the road for five hours, police said.