Driver and motorcycle in fatal crash ended up more than 100 yards apart on U.S. 301 in Bradenton
BRADENTON -- Motorists traveling north over the U.S. 301 overpass near the Red Barn flea market in Manatee County around 1 p.m. Sunday saw numerous Florida Highway Patrol and Manatee County Sheriff's Office vehicles blocking the inside lane where a body lay covered by a pink blanket.
The body was that of a 40-year-old man from Sarasota, but he was not a pedestrian, according to a Florida Highway Patrol news release.
In what is a bit of a mystery, the victim was driving a 2013 Yamaha Star motorcycle north on U.S. 301 in the left lane just north of Ninth Street East at 11:56 a.m. when he veered into the middle concrete barrier on the overpass and was thrown from the motorcycle. The victim
struck a light pole in the median after he was ejected, according to the release.
The man's bike ended up at the bottom of the overpass, more than 100 yards away.
The initial report from the Florida Highway Patrol failed to answer the mystery of the bike and the driver being so far apart. It is not known if the motorcycle rolled to its resting place without a rider.
At the scene around 1:30 p.m, a Manatee County Sheriff's Office deputy told a reporter that investigators had used the phrase, "ghost ride," a term for a vehicle that goes along on its own for a while before stopping. But it is not known if a different conclusion was later reached.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers were at the scene taking measurements.
Calls to the FHP Sunday evening for an explanation of the mystery were not immediately returned.
The victim's identity was not released, pending notification of next of kin.
Alcohol was not involved in the crash, according to the FHP report.
Richard Dymond, Herald reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7072 or contact him via Twitter@RichardDymond.
This story was originally published April 17, 2016 at 11:31 PM with the headline "Driver and motorcycle in fatal crash ended up more than 100 yards apart on U.S. 301 in Bradenton ."