:wow:wow:wow:wow
cliff notes:
Here’s what happened early Thursday on Interstate 75:
- Robert Kelly rides his Suzuki motorcycle northbound.
- Jeff Stark drives his 2005 Dodge Caravan northbound.
- Kelly whips around traffic and into the middle lane.
- He slams into the back of the moving Caravan with such force that the Suzuki breaks through the vehicle.
- Kelly is propelled into the van, straight between a husband and wife who are sitting in bucket seats in the back.
- He winds up horizontal with his head next to the van driver.
Motorcyclist lands in backseat of van
The rider remains in critical condition after the early Thursday wreck
By Austin L. Miller
Staff writerPublished: Thursday, September 23, 2010 at 7:12 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, September 23, 2010 at 10:38 p.m.A motorcyclist was riding so fast on Interstate 75 early Thursday in Marion County that he rammed into the back of a moving minivan and was propelled into the vehicle, coming to rest between a husband and wife in the back seat.
The motorcyclist, Robert Kelly, 22, from Silver Springs, late Thursday was listed in critical condition at Shands at the University of Florida.
The couple in the back of the van — Sammy and Nicole Cannon — were, miraculously, unhurt. The van’s driver, their friend Jeff Stark, also was unhurt. The three were driving home to Williston.
“We were just cruising in the center lane when we heard a big ol’ bang — and he’s lying between us,” Sammy Cannon said.
They were all in shock after the wreck. The Cannons stood along I-75 with Sammy holding his wife close, her head to his chest.
Dachari Walker-Johnson, of Miami, might have had the best view of the bizarre crash. The 2002 Suzuki motorcycle roared past her car on I-75 a moment before the collision.
“He (the motorcyclist) was going so fast he didn’t see that van,” she speculated.
The 2:20 a.m. wreck happened just south of the State Road 40 exit. A northbound section of I-75 was closed for a couple of hours, with traffic detoured at the State Road 200 interchange.
Troopers said the 2005 Dodge Caravan was northbound in the center lane when the Suzuki motorcycle crashed into it.
Stark said the impact felt and sounded like “the back tire blew out.”
Because other vehicles were behind him, Stark said he slowed and pulled over on the shoulder 70 to 80 yards past the SR 40 exit.
“I turned around,” he said, “and saw a guy’s head was turned liked he was looking out the passenger’s window.”
Dachari Walker-Johnson and her husband, Charles Johnson, were driving in the middle lane behind the minivan. Johnson said they were going about 65 mph when the motorcyclist “shot past them” in the far lane.
The couple said they heard a boom and then saw a cloud of smoke and bike pieces flying everywhere.
The couple said they stopped and called 911. Thinking the motorcyclist must have been thrown onto the roadway, Johnson searched the area but found nothing.
He said they drove down the road and saw the Dodge Caravan parked on the shoulder. At that time, they saw the motorcyclist, wearing a helmet, in the minivan.
“He was breathing a little bit,” Johnson said.
Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118 or austin.miller@starbanner.com.
source: Ocala