Four killed on Florida Keys highways since New Year’s Eve
A woman who was killed when a travel trailer being towed by an SUV hit her as she rode her bicycle across U.S. 1 Tuesday morning became the fourth person to die on Florida Keys roads since New Year’s Eve.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the 58-year-old woman, whom the agency did not name, was crossing the northbound lane of U.S. 1 at mile marker 53 in the Middle Keys city of Marathon around 7:30 a.m. when she was struck.
The FHP is investigating the crash.
The other three deaths occurred on the two roads leading into the island chain — the 18-Mile Stretch of U.S. 1 and Card Sound Road. Each happened before entering Monroe County.
On Thursday, the morning of New Year’s Eve, an 80-year-old man riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle sideswiped the rear end of a Chevrolet Suburban because he did not realize the SUV slowed down for congested traffic ahead at mile marker 115, according to an FHP report.
The man, whom the FHP has not named, was thrown from his motorcycle and died at the scene, the FHP said in its report. The driver of the Suburban, a 35-year-old woman, was not injured.
The crash slowed already heavy southbound holiday traffic, much of which was heading to Key West, police said.
The next day, around 2:30 p.m., another motorcyclist was killed after a crash with a truck, this time on Card Sound Road, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Card Sound runs southeast from Florida City to the northern end of Key Largo. To proceed to the Keys, drivers turn south on County Road 905. The 18-Mile Stretch is the quicker, more direct route in and out of the Keys from the mainland.
Since the crash happened on the Miami-Dade County side of the Card Sound Road, Monroe’s sheriff’s office did not have a report, but according to alerts the agency issued that day, the road was closed until almost 8 p.m.
The FHP also said there was another fatal crash on the 18-Mile Stretch over the weekend, at mile marker 123, which is also on the Miami-Dade side of the highway. Troopers assigned to Miami-Dade have not released any details about that crash.
There were also several car accidents within the island chain over the holidays, but Lt. Kathleen McKinney, sub-district FHP commander for the Keys, said none resulted in significant injuries or damage.
“Most of our stuff was relatively minor,” she said.
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 8:50 PM.
