A 57-year-old Bradenton man was killed early Sunday in a motorcycle crash near Palmetto.
A 57-year-old Bradenton man died early Sunday after a motorcycle crash on U.S. 19 near Palmetto, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred around 12 a.m. Sunday, April 19, on eastbound U.S. 19 west of Hightower Road, an FHP news release states.
According to investigators, the man was riding a motorcycle in the left lane when he lost control, traveled onto the shoulder and overturned. He was thrown from the motorcycle and came to rest in the eastbound left lane.
An SUV driven by a 39-year-old St. Petersburg man was also traveling east on U.S. 19 and struck the motorcyclist as he lay in the roadway, FHP said.
The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. The SUV driver was not injured.
The crash remains under investigation.
How many people have died this year in Sarasota-Manatee motorcycle crashes?
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports there were 2,211 motorcycle crashes in Florida between Jan. 1 and April 9, 2026, with 129 resulting in fatalities.
The department’s Florida Crash Dashboard shows that during the same period, there were 93,268 total crashes statewide, including 597 fatal crashes.
In Sarasota and Manatee counties, there were 97 motorcycle crashes during the same period in 2026, including five fatalities.
The dashboard shows there were also 3,392 total crashes in the two-county area, including 22 fatal crashes.
The Herald-Tribune previously reported that at around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 22, Florida Highway Patrol troopers responded to a crash on Tamiami Trail and Bayshore Drive in Sarasota involving a Lincoln Corsair and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
According to FHP, a 68-year-old Michigan woman was driving south in the right lane on Tamiami Trail in the Lincoln Corsair. A 62-year-old Port Charlotte man riding the motorcycle was traveling south in the left lane.
The driver of the Lincoln made a left turn from the right lane, colliding with the motorcycle, which was redirected southeast and came to rest in the median pass-through lane for Bayshore Drive, according to FHP.
The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene by Sarasota County EMS.
Wade Tatangelo is the executive editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Florida dining and entertainment editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and X. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. Support local journalism by subscribing.
