JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Loved ones gathered Sunday to remember a motorcyclist who died in a crash on Southside Boulevard north of Baymeadows Road.
RELATED: 40-year-old motorcyclist dead after striking 2 SUVs on Southside Blvd.
Police said the motorcyclist was heading north on the service road when an SUV made a left turn in front of him.
The motorcycle hit the SUV, forcing the bike into oncoming traffic, where it collided with another SUV.
The man riding the motorcycle died at the scene.
His death marked the 59th traffic death in Duval County in 2024 and the eighth involving a motorcyclist.
Erick Parmley, President of the J-Ville Riders Club, talked about how the accident made him feel.
“A sense of fear goes through me because it could be anybody we know,” Parmley said.
He also said he wants everyone who shares the road to be more careful.
“Be aware of the motorcycles around you. Turn your phone off,” Parmley said. “Motorcycle speed is double the time of a car, so if a car is making a left turn in front of you, you think you can beat this motorcycle coming, nine times out of ten, you can’t so please be aware of the motorcycles around you.”
He also talked about what makes him get back on the bike even though there are dangers associated with riding one.
“It’s the joy of riding, the feeling of riding a motorcycle. You just have a sense of freedom when you’re on one,” Parmley said.
The brother of the victim said things are hard right now, and he wished this didn’t happen to his brother.