Motorcyclist killed in E. University Ave. crash
June 2, 2024
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A motorcyclist was killed tonight on E. University Avenue when he hit a pickup truck entering the road.
At about 11:49 p.m., the motorcyclist was traveling eastbound on E. University Avenue and hit the side of a pickup truck entering E. University Avenue from SE 18th Street. The motorcyclist, an adult male, was pronounced deceased at the scene.
So sad, prayers to the family and friends.
Thank you for being one of the compassionate people on here. This was my 17 y/o cousin who died last night. He was not driving reckless like some other commenters assume. Bikes can be dangerous and sometimes hard for people to see. It doesn’t always mean just because someone is on a bike that they are being reckless and racing at high speeds. I know some do, but this was not the case! Someone pulled out in front of him and he unfortunately lost his life way too soon as a result. He was a great person and this is a terribly tragic loss! Please pray for our family!
This is what happens when you’re hauling balls and running red lights on a MC. Hopefully his group of friends learn from this before they wind up dead also.
Truck had no headlights on and pulled out in front of him.. wasnt the boys fault, just so you know.
Disrespectful at its finest. Instead of making your own story, pray for the family.!!
I was on that road last around that time making a delivery and confirm there were motorcycles FLYING up and down the road,,,one missed me by a thin margin
I m a rider, i àlways had racing motorcycles and i can tell that run fast in normale Road Is Dangerous for riders and people. When i want tò push my motorcycles i going tò the racing circuit. Life Is One don t waste It for nothing. So sayd for him and his family
Well, well at least no one else was killed from reckless driving. One less hazard on the road.
You are a heartless person. Someone died. And from what I just read the truck pulled out in front of him, meaning the truck was in the wrong he had the stop sign not the motorcycle. A child, mother, wife/girlfriend family and friends are hurting and you calling this man a harazad.
The truck did not pull out infront of the bike, my dad was driving the truck and there is a confirmed that the motorcyclist was driving at least 100 miles an hour and did not have time to stop by the time he saw the truck that was already in the middle of the road
I’ve seen that before..3-5 bikes on West Newberry Road going at least 100 miles an hour. I was turning left into Royal Park and they were traveling west around the corner…had I not accelerated when I saw them, at least two of them would have plowed into my car…..so, while it is POSSIBLE the truck pulled out in front of the bike, I, too turned in front of the bikes, too…but at 100 mph….it isn’t my fault.
What a heartless comment. This is a 17 year old CHILD you are talking about. Accidents happen and before you run your mouth, you should have your facts straight. You have no details other than hearsay of what happened. Either way, his parents, his brothers, family, friends will never be the same. They are experiencing a loss one couldn’t imagine. Have some heart before you spit your toxicity.
I heard this happen. I was visiting a friend just up the street and was outside at the time it occurred. It was horrifying. Those bikes are always flying up and down University Ave and I’ve often wondered when something like this was going to happen. It’s tragic and unnecessary. I feel for everyone involved, especially his family, but I really hope that his motorcycle riding friends decide to take the loss of their friend seriously and stop engaging in such risky behavior. This is primarily a residential area and I can only imagine how much worse it could have been if he had hit a pedestrian or lost control and crashed through someone’s house.
You worded that well Jennifer. It is tragic and unnecessary and there area lesson to be learned from this horrible accident. The speed limit changes from 45 to 30-35 mph on that part of E. University Ave so drive the speed limit. Back in the day the police use to set up a speed trap just pass the school bus yard to the red…I haven’t seen that in a while. People have yearly eye exams to so you can see properly. Make a compete stop at stop signs not a slow roll. Look left right left and to be safe right again or how ever many left rights it take especially on four lane highway.
That end of University Ave has driveways and side roads everywhere on it a car can appear from anywhere. And people need to keep their trees/shrub trimmed also. Nothing brothers me more than pulling up to a stop sign and can’t see pass the sidewalk or on coming traffic from the stop line because someone won’t trim their trees/shrubs so that make you have to pull out further into traffic. I don’t know if the young man was wearing a helmet or not but in some cases protective gear do save lives. My heart goes out to everyone that has to bare the pain of loosing their love one. The driver of the truck will always remember that they killed a person. The screen will play over and over in they head. Thats something that should shake a person to their core. I pray the driver was not under the influence of anything that may have clouded his judgment. Now that’s another can of worms.
Hard to “Watch for Motorcycles” when they are doing 80MPH…. FAFO
So sad that was my daughters boyfriend. My heart hurts for his family. Tragic loss of such a young life.
Hi Randy I talked to you and your daughter that night at the scene and i know that she is really hurting i pray that she finds comfort soon. Can u please give the young man’s family my condolences
Prayers for healing and comfort. For all the complaints about reckless motorcyclists, there are plenty of reckless car and truck drivers out there as well– and University Avenue has been a DOT-created disaster-waiting-to-happen for years now.
Nobody actually knows what happened fr so stop assuming it just was a bad accident sometimes they shouldn’t be going so fast so they can see traffic and what in front of them a lot of them think they entitled to be in front of you because they drive faster maybe he tried switching lane n accidentally hit the back of his truck and loss control we don’t know just say your condolences to the family n keep it moving
Everyone leaving negative comments on here should be ashamed of themselves. This young man lost his life. Regardless of who is at fault this boy had his whole life ahead of him. He has a family, friends, a girlfriend. Imagine how his mother is right now. Imagine how his siblings feel. His girlfriend. In shock….confused… questioning if this is even real or not. Sad one minute, angry the next, laughing about memories the next. Completely lost all the while. I know how they feel and noone should have to experience something like this. If being evil and degrading someone who is no longer here makes you feel like a man inside, then you are not a man. To the family, girlfriend and friends, please know there are ppl out here who care. Your boy has wings now and will be watching over you.
My heart goes out to this family! I lost an identical twin son. So to the people out here making nonsense comments until you loose a son, daughter or love ones keep your nonsense to yourself! My prayers for the family, give it to God for strength to carry on! Much love ❤️
I live in this area and for the past week I have heard people riding their bikes up and down east university in the wee hours of the morning. It was very frustrating trying to sleep over here with all the noise from the bikes. No respect for the people who live over here who just want some peace and quiet and a good night’s sleep. At some point I literally felt like getting in my car to go see who is running up and down the road making all this noise at 3m. I’m sorry to hear about this but I really figured something like this would happen. When I saw the little grave site I knew it was just put there because I live in the area. Prayers for the family.
This is a sad tragedy. A young man lost his life. I know the area even though I don’t live anywhere close . The realization is this. It doesn’t matter the circumstances behind the accident. A mother lost a child. My family sends our condolences. We all ride and know the dangers that can come from it as all do. Accident is an accident. Whom ever was driving the truck probably feels like the family does. This person has a memory that will last a lifetime. To all involved or affected seek help to deal with the grief. You all are in my prayers.