UF student killed while riding scooter on Hull Road
March 4, 2025
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gainesville Police Department is investigating the death of a 20-year-old UF student on Sunday evening.
At about 7:30 p.m. on March 2, a gray Mustang traveling eastbound on Hull Road slowed to make a left-hand turn into a parking lot and collided with a scooter traveling westbound. The rider of the scooter was ejected and transported to the hospital under a trauma alert; she succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
The investigation is continuing, and anyone who witnessed the crash or has any information about the crash is asked to call GPD’s Public Information Officer at 352-393-7525.
Praying for all involved – so tragic and just sad. Hugs those you love even more, you never know.
Tragic.
I believe more scooter riders have become fatalities over the past couple years than red light runners, but correct me if I’m wrong
Maybe the City needs to govern scooters more than they do the installation of red light cameras.
Per my personal observations, 95% of the UF students on scooters do NOT wear helmets. 35% wear flip-flops or sandals, and only 50% wear any eye protection. 50% are listening to music. They drive like zombies oblivious to their surroundings, and have zero appreciation that they are taking their life into their hands as they weave in and out of traffic.
Doesn’t change the fact that the ***hole in the mustang violated the riders ROW!
We don’t know that. Very few details. It was after sunset; was the rider wearing light or dark clothing; was the scooter visible to a driver? If the scooter was on the road itself, was it traveling in the correct direction; was the driver paying attention?
It sounds like the main driving fault was by the Mustang driver, not the scooter driver, if I have read the minimal published description correctly. Anyway RIP scooter driver.
Wasn’t there so too early to cast fault.
First thing I would like to know is if the scooter had lights on it? 7:30 it’s very low visibility and seeing(?) many Gainesville drivers, they aren’t exactly proactive in making themselves visible.
A mo-ped is a gray area in the law. The electric bikes and scooters are fast. In Florida, under 21 must wear a helmet on a motorcycle….but they do not. Legislation and enforcement of a helmet law for scooters, mopeds and e-bikes might help. This poor girl might still be with us if she had been wearing a helmet.
RIP dear, i am amazed that these headlines do not appear more,,,, i drive on campus , in and around campus, scooters are every were, violating every safety regulation known, they are so vulnerable ,,, just sayin
GPD worked the traffic homicide investigation in UF’s campus jurisdiction because UPD does not have any THI investigators nor does UPD have a ‘traffic unit’ dedicated to high visibility traffic enforcement. Sadly campus has become a free for all with speeders, passing in bike lanes and over double yellow lines, red light runners, wrong way violations etc.
Was it one of those electric scooters that they rent and leave anywhere when they’re finished riding?
Also, Skateboarding should be prohibited on streets & sidewalks.
CREATE A MOPED ONLY LANE ON CAMPUS AND CHARGE FEES SUCH AS A TOLL RODE. parents would love to pay the toll to justify there kids safety.
Just so sad this young girl has been killed. The impacts of this death ripple outward beyond her immediate family and friends. I hope this tragic death will resonate with scooter drivers and cause them to be more careful. I feel bad for the person who hit her as well, what a horrible thing to have to live with, even though it sounds as if the driver may not have been at fault. Prayers for all involved.