St. Petersburg, Fla. (970 WFLA) - A speeding motorcyclist caused a crash on the Howard Frankland Bridge early Sunday that killed him, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The 31-year-old man from Palmetto, whose identity the FHP withheld pending notification of his relatives, rode his Yamaha southbound on the bridge "at a high rate of speed," according to a news release from the FHP, and collided with a utility trailer towed by a pickup truck just before 3 a.m. He suffered critical injuries and died later at a hospital, the FHP said.
Another motorcycle crashed after riding through debris from the crash. David Matute-Sorto, 21, of Bradenton suffered only minor injuries. The driver of the truck, Joshua Warner, 21, of St. Petersburg was not injured. The crash closed southbound lanes for several hours. They fully reopened at 8:25 a.m., the FHP said.