3 motorcyclists killed in 2 separate accidents on SR 60 in Lake Wales on Saturday
Three motorcyclists were killed in two unrelated accidents about 10 hours apart on State Road 60 in Lake Wales on Saturday.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office said the first accident happened shortly before 8 a.m. when a group of motorcyclists were travelling west on SR 60 just west of West Lake Wales Road. As they approached a Dodge Caravan driven by Eduardo Trujillo, 54, of Lake Wales, Trujillo pulled into the right turn lane to turn into a business park.
The Sheriff's Office said three of the four motorcycles went past him, but Trujillo abruptly pulled back into the roadway in front of the fourth motorcycle. That motorcycle, a 2013 Harley-Davidson trike carrying a couple from Virginia, struck Trujillo's left rear driver’s side door. The couple were ejected and both died at the scene. The Sheriff's Office said the man was not wearing a helmet.
Trujillo's minivan continued left collided with a 2014 Fiat driven by Eddie Palmer, 56, of Lake Wales. Palmer was taken to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, along with his passenger, who was treated and released.
Trujillo was not injured, and none of his passengers were injured. The roadway was closed for several hours during the on-scene investigation. The crash is still under investigation. The Sheriff's Office said it hasn't released the names of the motorcyclists because it hasn't reached next of kin.
Another motorcyclist killed about 10 hours later
The second crash occurred about 6:30 p.m. on SR 60 east of Capps Road in Lake Wales, and involved a motorcycle and two other vehicles.
The Sheriff's Office said that, according to the investigation so far, a 2010 Kawasaki motorcycle being operated by a Winter Haven man was heading east on SR 60 in the inside lane while Pablo Molina, 21, of Lake Wales was traveling behind him in a white 2015 GMC truck.
Just east of Capps Road, the motorcyclist moved into the outside lane and ended up behind another vehicle. As Molina began to move past the motorcycle, the motorcyclist abruptly pulled back into the left lane and struck Molina’s truck on the right passenger side. The motorcyclist, who was not wearing a helmet, lost control and was ejected. He was declared dead at the scene.
Molina also lost control of his truck after the impact and slid onto the shoulder. He was not injured. The motorcycle slid into the right lane and became lodged under a grey 2022 Dodge Ram truck driven by Brandi Johnson, 31, of Lakeland. She also slid off onto the shoulder. Neither she nor her passenger were injured.
The investigation is ongoing, but the Sheriff's Office said it does not appear that either of the vehicle drivers were impaired or distracted.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: 2 Lake Wales crashes, 10 hours apart, kill 3 motorcyclists
