Fatal motorcycle crash sends debris flying, triggers 5-vehicle wreck, Florida cops say

A biker who was thrown off his motorcycle into a trailer load of car parts, igniting a chain reaction that led to five other vehicles crashing into debris, has died, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

It happened around 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 7, on Interstate 75 and southbound lanes had to be closed for more than two hours, troopers said in a news release.

Investigators say the 2014 Kawasaki motorcycle was traveling “at a high rate of speed” when the crash occurred near Tampa.

“The motorcyclist, a 23-year-old Tampa man, overtook and collided with a trailer full of vehicle parts being towed by a 2012 Ford F250,” the highway patrol reports.

“Upon impact, the motorcyclist was ejected into the open trailer, as debris from the collision spread across all southbound lanes of the interstate. ... A secondary crash occurred as a result of the debris and initial collision that involved five vehicles.”

The motorcyclist suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to a hospital where he died, officials said. His identity has not been released.

The driver of the F250, a 53-year-old Apollo Beach man, and motorists in the other five crashed vehicles did not report being injured.

Interstate 75 southbound reopened around 3:40 a.m., officials said.

This story was originally published March 7, 2023 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Fatal motorcycle crash sends debris flying, triggers 5-vehicle wreck, Florida cops say."