LAKELAND, Fla. – A 26-year-old man from Lakeland was killed late Wednesday afternoon after a high-speed attempt to navigate between two semi-trucks went wrong on I-4. Florida Highway Patrol reported the incident occurred at approximately 5:45 PM on April 1, just west of SR-566 in Hillsborough County.
According to investigators, the man was riding a Yamaha motorcycle westbound at a high rate of speed when he approached two tractor-trailers.
The trucks were traveling side-by-side in the center and outside lanes. Troopers say the motorcyclist attempted to “lane-split”—passing between the two moving vehicles—but lost control and fell from his bike.
The rider was subsequently struck by the tractor-trailer traveling in the center lane. He suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
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While the impact was fatal, the driver of the tractor-trailer did not stop and continued traveling westbound on the interstate.
Florida Highway Patrol is now turning to the public for help in identifying the driver or the vehicle involved. They are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash or who has dashboard camera footage of the area from Wednesday evening to come forward.
Individuals with information regarding the incident are urged to contact the FHP by dialing *FHP (*347).
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