Palmetto, Fla. (970 WFLA) - A rear-end crash Thursday killed the motorcycle rider blamed for causing it, the Florida Highway Patrol said. William Hardesty, 67, rode his Kawasaki Ninja on US-41 north of 39th Street at about 4:30 p.m. when he failed to stop as he came up on a Nissan Pathfinder stopped at a traffic light, according to a news release from the FHP.
After impact, the motorcycle went off the road, hit a traffic post, and threw Hardesty off. The bike came to rest in front of Anglers Discount Food Store at 3904 US-41, the news release said. The driver of the Nissan, Richard Henry, 70, was not hurt.