Whenever I read a story like the one I read today out of Ormond Beach involving a motorcyclist killed on U.S. 1, I wonder when the car-driving public in Volusia County is going to wake up and realize that Volusia County is perhaps the motorcycle-riding capital of the world, and that every driver in Volusia County needs to check — and doublecheck — for motorcyclists every time they take to the local roads.
Apparently, Eddie Coggins was riding his motorcycle northbound on U.S. 1 when Elizabeth Rothwell pulled out from Plantation Bay Road directly into Mr. Coggins direction of travel. Mr. Coggins tried to lay the bike down, but wound up being killed in the accident. There is no indication that Mr. Coggins was speeding or operating his motorcycle in anything but a reasonable manner.
Unfortunately, our experience with motorcycles accidents is that very few of them feature minor injuries. We have seen more wrongful deaths from motorcycle accidents than we’d like to remember. The same goes for amputations and serious head injuries.
All Florida drivers — and particularly those in Volusia County — need to remember to look for motorcyclists (and bicyclists, for that matter) every time they attempt to pull into traffic, change lanes, or make a turn. Nobody wants to be experiencing the kind of grief the Coggins family and Ms. Rothwell are experiencing right now. Our prayers go out to both families.
