JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After a crash claimed the life of an eighth motorcyclist in Duval County this year, a safety instructor is reminding both drivers and riders to be more aware on the roads.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said a motorcyclist was hit by two cars on a service road off Southside Boulevard Saturday afternoon.
Family members stayed at the scene of the crash after police left, cleaning up some of the wreckage while grieving together.
Jacksonville’s motorcycle community is mourning with them, as this is the eighth motorcyclist killed so far this year.
“It’s always terrifying to hear news like that," said Jacksonville Motorcycle Safety Training Co-owner Kyler Van der Heever.
Van der Heever spends his weekends teaching about a dozen new motorcyclists how to ride safely at his classes.
He said an eighth motorcyclist death in four months in Jacksonville shows there is still work to be done on both sides by drivers and bikers to share the road.
“A very common saying that motorcyclists say is ‘Ride like you’re invisible,'" said Van der Heever. "Ride like the drivers can’t see you, because most of the time they don’t.”
JSO said the deadly crash on Southside Service Road started when a car went to turn onto Southside Boulevard.
As the vehicle turned left, a motorcycle coming from the other direction crashed into it, knocking the bike into another lane, where the rider hit a second car and was launched from the motorcycle and killed.
A witness told police it seemed the motorcycle was traveling fast.
Van der Heever said Jacksonville is missing a key component to training new motorcyclists — a training track.
“That’s a big thing, a track can help them learn where you can really open it up, go through turns at a high speed, get that adrenaline rush people normally get, but in a much safer environment," said Van der Heever.
He said the nearest one he directs his riders to is more than 100 miles away west on I-10.
If nothing else, he hopes the crash near Southside Boulevard serves as a grim reminder for drivers to drive defensively and riders to ride like they’re invisible.
“Riders and drivers, in general, I hope everyone is paying attention, and I hope we can all have fun on a motorcycle," said Van der Heever.
Where the crash happened, there isn’t a stop or even a yield sign for cars turning across traffic to ramp up to Southside Boulevard.
A Florida Department of Transportation spokesperson said that due to the crash, they’ll investigate the intersection to see if more signage or any changes are needed.