21-year-old motorcyclist dies after pickup pulls in front of him on Lake Hatchineha Road

Ledger staff
·1 min read
A motorcycle traveling east on Lake Hatchineha Road in eastern Polk County struck a Ford pickup that was entering the road early Tuesday morning. The motorcyclist, a 21-year-old man from Poinciana, died at the scene.
A motorcycle traveling east on Lake Hatchineha Road in eastern Polk County struck a Ford pickup that was entering the road early Tuesday morning. The motorcyclist, a 21-year-old man from Poinciana, died at the scene.

A 21-year-old motorcyclist from Poinciana was killed early Tuesday when a pickup truck pulled out in front of him on Lake Hatchineha Road.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office said the crash happened about 6:30 a.m. just west of V-8 Ranch Road. According to a PCSO news release, Erik Manuel Torres, 21, of Poinciana was driving a 2018 Kawasaki motorcycle east on Lake Hatchineha Road when a a gray 2002 Ford F150 pickup truck began pulling out of a private driveway to turn west onto the same road.

The motorcycle struck the pickup, and Torres was ejected. He died at the scene. The Sheriff's Office said Torres was wearing a properly secured helmet, but the impact caused it to come off.

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The driver of the Ford pickup, whom the Sheriff's Office did not immediately identify, suffered minor injuries. A passenger in the Ford was not hurt.

Both lanes of Lake Hatchineha Road were closed for about three hours while first responders were on scene. The investigation is ongoing.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: 21-year-old motorcyclist dies in crash on Lake Hatchineha Road