One person killed in two-vehicle accident Friday night in Palmetto

A Brooksville man was killed in a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of U.S. 19 and 49th Street East on Friday night in Palmetto, according to police.

Joseph Koch, 20, was driving his 2015 Yamaha R3 motorcycle northbound on U.S. 19 approaching 49th Street East when a 1998 Jeep Cherokee made a left turn in front of him, according to a press release from Florida Highway Patrol.

Koch abandoned his motorcycle in an attempt to avoid a collision, but both he and the motorcycle slid underneath the rear right side of the Jeep Cherokee, driven by a 55-year-old Palmetto man, according to FHP.

Koch, who was wearing a helmet, suffered fatal injuries in the crash, which happened shortly before 9:30 p.m. Friday, according to the press release.

The driver of the Jeep Cherokee was not injured.

According to FHP, it is not known at this point if alcohol was a factor, and the crash remains under investigation.

This story was originally published April 2, 2017 at 11:47 AM with the headline "One person killed in two-vehicle accident Friday night in Palmetto."