The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported recently that a motorcycle accident in North Port claimed the lives of two local residents, including a local news reporter for NBC Channel 2 and ABC Channel 7 in Fort Myers, on the afternoon of Saturday, November 14.
Officials from the North Port Police Department stated the incident occurred around 4 p.m. on Saturday. A North Port man, 30 years of age, was riding his new BMW motorcycle and, for unknown reasons still under investigation, left the roadway at the intersection of Plantation Boulevard and Panacea Boulevard.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, while his passenger, a woman 26 years of age who was new to the area, was hospitalized in critical condition and succumbed to her injuries after being taken to the hospital.
The driver, a local Home Depot manager and experienced motorcyclist, had recently purchased the motorcycle for his 30th birthday, according to his girlfriend, who tragically came across the accident scene close to their house as emergency crews worked to save the two victims. The passenger was a TV news reporter and close friend to the couple and had recently moved to Florida from the Midwest to pursue her journalism career.