The Leesburg Daily Commercial reported recently that a motorcyclist was killed in Umatilla on Friday, March 5, 2021 in a tragic motor vehicle accident when his bike was struck by another vehicle.

According to officials with the Florida Highway Patrol, the incident took place on Friday, March 5, 2021 near the intersection of County Road 42 and Big Oak Road in the Lake County town of Umatilla. A motorcyclist from Ocklawaha, 68 years of age, was headed south on CR 42 while a car, driven by a man 81 years of age, was attempting to make a left turn from Big Oak Road onto northbound CR 42.

The car pulled out into the roadway in front of the motorcycle and the motorcycle impacted the other vehicle. The motorcyclist was ejected from his bike. He was taken to Advent Health Waterman in Tavares where he later succumbed to the injuries he sustained in the accident. The driver and his passenger, a woman 79 years of age, were uninjured.

The motorcyclist, who was wearing a helmet, did not have his name released by the Florida Highway Patrol. The accident remains under investigation, and this was the third fatal motorcycle accident in two weeks in the area, two in Lake County and one in Sumter County.